YORK City were today sweating on the fitness of first-choice goalkeeper Michael Ingham after he limped off just four minutes into last night’s friendly at Harrogate Railway.

Ingham seemed to pull up immediately after making his first clearing kick of the match, and was taken off shortly afterwards with a suspected thigh injury, being replaced by Josh Mimms.

The youngster had little to do for the 86 minutes that followed, but let a goal in at his near post in the dying minutes of City’s 2-1 victory.

Of Ingham’s injury Minstermen manager Colin Walker said: “We will have to wait 24 hours on that one. We just hope he has not pulled a thigh muscle.”

Centre-back Danny Parslow also suffered a dead leg at the start of the second half and came off ten minutes later, while Martyn Woolford took a bang to a foot after coming on as substitute, but neither injury is thought to be serious.

Richard Brodie, Daniel McBreen and Steven Hogg, meanwhile, all came through okay after returning from injury. Brodie played for 63 minutes before being replaced by McBreen, while Hogg came on as substitute after 57 minutes.

Walker said: “We thought Daniel McBreen got a knock on his knee but it was okay and we’re pleased with that.”

He added: “It’s very difficult with five strikers to plan things properly. I’m trying to give them all as much time on the pitch as I can. Sometimes they get frustrated and I understand that – I was a striker myself.

“They just need to make sure they’re doing all the right things for August 9 (when the Blue Square Premier kicks off).”

Brodie and Craig Farrell began the game up front, though Walker also used Onome Sodje and Woolford, as well as McBreen, in advanced roles during the match.

Brodie headed in the second goal, from a corner, just before half-time, after teenage left-winger Liam Shepherd had slotted home the first goal.

Of the performance, which followed draws with League opposition in Leeds, Middlesbrough and Barnsley, Walker said: “I think it’s very strange to judge this one against some of the other games we’ve had at home.

“The legs were very heavy. All the players ran their chuckies off on Thursday (in training) and all of them were leggy.

“Some of the football at times was very good, but some of our players got a bit sloppy at times. It was a good test on a very big pitch. Hopefully if we get the injuries sorted out we will be ready for Hartlepool on Wednesday.”

Walker said he had not yet decided his starting 11 for the league opener at Crawley but suggested he knew the system he would play, having started with a 4-4-2 last night and having alternated his forward options.

“We played three different shapes. Maybe we know the way we’re going to play and shape we’re going to play,” he said.

Railway also endured injury woe as substitute forward Noel Whitaker was stretchered off in the second half after an innocuous-looking tackle with City skipper Mark Greaves. He suffered a knee injury. His replacement, Lee Ryan, got Rail’s goal.