CLOVIS Kamdjo crowned his sixth reserve outing since coming back from cruciate and anterior knee ligament damage with a goal in York City reserves’ 2-1 defeat at Hartlepool.

It was the second time the former Forest Green utility man, who captained the team from centre back, has been on target for City’s second string during his two-month playing return.

He was later substituted after picking up a knock, but the injury is not thought to be serious.

City lost the game in the 97th minute when Joe Jackson pounced to settle matters after Kamdjo had cancelled out Brook Miller’s opening strike.

Kamdjo was one of three players in the visitors’ line-up boasting first-team experience, with Connor Smith and Theo Wharton the others.

Only centre-back Jacob Owen, meanwhile, had featured in Pool’s senior team this term, as an 89th-minute substitute in last week’s National League fixture at Barrow.

Teenage City keeper Ryan Whitley was forced into the first save of the afternoon, gathering a 25-yard Lewis Orrell attempt.

Just before the quarter-hour mark, Zac Lawrence’s clearance then struck home forward Liam Travers and ricocheted just wide of Whitley’s goal.

In response, Flynn McNaughton dragged off target from 15 yards for the Minstermen and Pool keeper Ryan Catterick was quick off his line to deny Vinnie Steels after the winger had exchanged passes with Aaron Haswell.

Whitley kept the scores level just past the half-hour point when he excellently palmed a curling, edge-of-the-box Ryan Robinson effort around his left-hand upright.

A 25-yard shot from Miller, meanwhile, soared over the away crossbar, before he opened the scoring on 37 minutes.

The right back drilled a low shot into Whitley’s bottom-left corner from just outside the penalty area after Kamdjo had failed to deal with a cleared corner.

At the other end, McNaughton went close with a glancing header from Steels’ left-wing centre and, after Harry Thompson’s deflected shot went out for a corner, City manufactured an equaliser.

Lawrence’s inswinging corner from the right was attacked by Kamdjo and he headed past Catterick from five yards.

The Minstermen went on to finish the half strongly with a McNaughton shot diverted away from goal and Smith driving just wide from 20 yards.

That momentum was not taken into the second half, though, as both teams struggled to attack with any incision.

Smith was withdrawn just past the hour, with City’s Easter fixtures in mind, but his replacement Noah Jackson lasted just eight minutes after becoming the victim of a horrendous challenge by Miller that wasn’t even deemed a foul when it should have been a red-card offence.

On 76 minutes, hapless referee Craig Sperring then disallowed a perfectly legitimate goal when McNaughton stole the ball off a dallying Catterick’s toes and netted, only for the official to signal a foul and then book Thompson during the inevitable protests.

Josh Berry went on to see a 20-yard opportunity deflected wide and a weak long-range Steels shot failed to trouble Catterick.

As the game entered the closing stages, Robinson screwed wide for the hosts and, with 90 minutes up, a charging Wharton somehow steered off target, using the outside of his boot from seven yards when one-on-one against Catterick.

But, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, primarily added on for the Jackson injury, Thompson was penalised for a foul and, after Whitley parried Jon Weir’s lowly driven free kick, Pool sub Jackson was at the front of a queue of three home players to prod into the inviting goal.

City: Whitley, Kemp, Rogerson, Kamdjo (Watson, 78), Lawrence, Smith (Jackson, 62, Berry 70), Wharton, Thompson, Steels (Overton, 85), Haswell, McNaughton.