ONOME Sodje scored his third goal of York City's pre-season programme at Frickley Athletic last night but the visitors were held to a 1-1 draw by their UniBond League hosts.

City rested six senior players for the match, as well as fielding four trialists and two trainees, but should still have beaten the Wakefield part-timers with poor finishing typifying a patchy performance.

At the other end of the pitch, City's central-defensive pairing of Brian Dutton and Carl Jones, who are both trying to earn contracts at KitKat Crescent, looked fairly solid in front of trialist goalkeeper James Lester.

But Frickley cancelled out Sodje's 20th-minute strike with a headed Craig Laight goal from a corner.

Jones also picked up an ankle injury on a night when City lost Phil Turnbull with a suspected disclocated shoulder after just 13 minutes following a heavy midfield challenge.

Trainee winger Liam Shepherd replaced Turnbull with Martyn Woolford switching to the middle of the park against his former club.

The Minstermen's main first half threat was provided by Sodje runs behind the home defence and the teenage striker tested home 'keeper Jon Hood from 12 yards on 14 minutes.

Soon afterwards, Billy McEwan's men took the lead when the former Charlton Athletic trainee spun smartly in the Frickley penalty box before firing a low ten-yard shot past Hood following good work by Richard Brodie and Ross Greenwood.

Woolford then saw a deflected effort narrowly miss the target and Sodje sent an angled volley bouncing wide moments before the interval.

Frickley fielded a completely different XI for the second half and even changed their strip while City made just one substitution, with skipper Manny Panther replacing Woolford.

Craddock, however, departed proceedings soon afterwards following a late tackle which led to his replacement by trialist Tim Chafer.

Lester dealt with a couple of dangerous home crosses well as Frickley's second half team posed more problems than their first half counterparts.

At the other end, the Minstermen offered little aside from a couple of explosive breaks down the right by Alex Rhodes before Frickley levelled the scores on 66 minutes when centre-back Laight beat Lester with a powerful header eight yards out from a corner.

The visitors should have won the game in the closing stages with Sodje volleying wide and Brodie lobbing tamely into the 'keeper's hands.

Brodie then squandered a simple chance with the last kick of the match, missing the target from seven yards after Sodje had raced clear of the home defence.


York: Lester, Craddock (Chafer, 57), Jones (McGurk, 70), Dutton, McWilliams (Purkiss, 78), Rhodes, Turnbull (Shepherd, 13), Greenwood, Woolford (Panther, 46), Brodie, Sodje.

Referee: Ian Knee (Wakefield).