YORK City’s first outing of pre-season ended less than favourably score-wise as Leeds United ran out 5-0 winners at Bootham Crescent.

A brace from Manchester City loanee Jack Harrison plus finishes from inside the area from Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez all but guaranteed the Leeds victory, and Adam Forshaw’s composed finish early in the second period sealed the deal.

This will be an encouraging performance for Leeds, who controlled the game well until their complete swap over with the substitutes on the hour.

City, meanwhile, were able to do as manager Steve Watson had planned and get the majority of the squad a run-out, while exhibiting some positive signs.

Steve McNulty, for one, looked – as expected – a calming influence in playing out from the back while Billy Beresford enjoyed some neat touches down the wing and keeper Peter Jameson made some fine saves.

Both sides looked eager to be back on the pitch from the off, setting a pleasing tempo for a pre-season match-up on a muggy evening.

There were only 30 seconds on the clock before Bamford was sent nearly through on goal by Kemar Roofe, only to be denied by the offside flag.

Leeds did not had to wait much longer for their next chance on goal, though, and neat back-to-front passing found its way to Roofe in the third minute. Seasoned centre-back McNulty could not quite clear from his ball across and Harrison fired in from the edge of the six-yard box.

With the surprising pace of the game, there were a good few passes going astray from both sides, and York benefited a few times over the course of the first quarter of the game from stray passes, able either to set attacks under way or to clear their lines.

City man-of-the-match David Ferguson looked a good outlet down the left, willing to harry and chase to get his crosses away and linking up well with Beresford.

Much-touted former Chelsea youth forward Patrick Bamford proved a good threat for Leeds at the other end, drawing some hasty challenges and cracking the corner of the goal frame from a tight angle.

Midway through the half, Roofe doubled Leeds’ advantage, planting Harrison’s ball across beyond Ryan Whitley from close in, 10 minutes before Hernandez did similarly from Bamford’s ball on the other side.

Between these goals, Paddy McLaughlin had picked up a yellow card for a rash challenge on Stuart Dallas, who came away unscathed, though the tackle itself was accompanied by a sharp intake of breath from the stands.

In the interim between the two goals, the visitors had asserted their dominance across the pitch, sweeping up well at the back, with Gaetano Berardi and Alfie McCalmont, and playing up through the middle nicely.

Four minutes before the half-time whistle, Roofe tried his luck with a cheeky effort from 40 yards, trying to catch Whitley off his line, before Harrison drilled in from outside the area low to the keeper’s left.

Early in the second period, second-half sub Jameson was called on to make a superb close-range stop from Harrison, who had been played through with some neat passing.

Former Everton Academy midfielder Forshaw badly miscued a shot from Roofe’s lay-off, his effort landing at the feet of a team-mate to his right, but made amends in the 53rd minute with his neat dink over Jameson from Roofe’s through-ball.

City were not without their flashes of hope, but they were little more than half-chances, Ferguson seeing a cross cut out after good work down the left and Jake Wright having the ball just nicked off his forehead when mere yards from goal.

The game had largely petered out with 15 minutes to go but there was still time for new signing from Barcelona ‘B’, Rafa Mujica, to fire wide both sides of goal.

York City: Whitley (Jameson HT), Griffiths (Dyer HT), Ferguson (Jebson-King 60), King (Tait HT), McNulty, Beresford (Kempster 45), Green (Moke HT), McLaughlin (Bond HT), Burrow (Langstaff HT), Maguire (Wright 60), Allan (Watson 60). Subs: Watson, Harrison, Ventura, Jebson-King, Wright.

Leeds, first hour: Casilla, Douglas, Forshaw, Cooper (C), Roofe, McCalmont, Bamford, Dallas, Hernandez, Harrison, Berardi.

Leeds, last half-hour: Miazek, Strujik, Oduor, Hosannah, Gotts, Mujica, Edmondson, Temenuzhkov, McCarron, Jenkins, Casey.

Attendance: 5,180.