YORK City pushed Championship Middlesbrough all the way before going down 1-0 to Bradley Fewster’s 78th-minute goal.

The Minstermen performed capably for long periods of their first pre-season friendly despite attacking trio Jake Hyde, Michael Coulson and Emile Sinclair all missing from the squad.

City also included former Cardiff City and Guisborough Town striker Danny Johnson, down as Trialist A on the home team sheet, and he went on to have a busy first-half.

Midway through the opening period, he was involved in a 50-50 challenge with Boro’s new signing Alex Baptiste that saw the latter receive oxygen on the pitch before being stretchered off with a serious leg injury.

The lack of any angry response from visiting players, though, suggested there was no malice in Johnson’s challenge.

On 35 minutes, City skipper Russell Penn then played in Johnson through the left channel and his low shot beat Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos but covering defender Dale Fry cleared off the line.     

Last season’s beaten Championship play-off finalists went closest on the stroke of half-time when James Husband struck Scott Flinders’ left-hand post from the edge of the penalty box and a combination of the City keeper and John McCombe kept out follow-up efforts from Kike and Junior Mondal.

After the break, Femi Ilesanmi and Josh Carson combined down the left to create a chance for first-year pro Callum Rzonca, whose low ten-yard effort was deflected narrowly wide.

Moments later, Johnson burst through the right channel but his curling shot was kept out by Boro's third keeper of the day – Connor Ripley.

It was the Teesside outfit, though, that secured victory on 78 minutes when a sharp turn of pace from Fewster took him clear through the left channel.

He then directed a well-struck, low shot beyond Michael Ingham's outstretched left arm.

 

City: Flinders (Ingham, 46); Swan (Lowe, 46), Winfield (Trialist B, 46), McCombe (Ilesanmi, 46); Nolan (McCoy, 46) Berrett (Meikle, 46), Penn (Summerfield, 46), Platt (Godfrey, 46), Straker (Carson, 46); Oliver (Rzonca, 46), Johnson (Hirst, 74).

Middlesbrough: Dimi Konstantopoulos (Thomas Mejias, 36, Conor Ripley, 64), Alex Baptiste (Andre Bennett, 30), Dale Fry (Bradley Fewster, 46), Daniel Ayala (Adam Jackson, 46), James Husband (George Friend, 46), Lewi Maloney (Johnny Burn, 46), Grant Leadbitter (Adam Clayton, 46), Yanic Wildschut (Mark Kitching, 46), Kike (Adam Reach, 46) Callum Cooke (Harry Chapman, 46), Junior Mondal (Lee Tomlin, 46).

Attendance: 2,798 (1790 away).