A LATE goal from David Brown robbed York City of victory at Garforth Town.

The Minstermen had looked to be coasting in a virtual training ground exercise before the substitute finished under Paul Musselwhite to give the Evo-Stik outfit a 1-1 draw.

Earlier, Jason Walker had scored on the stroke of half-time for York and they will want to find second gear ahead of the visit of Sunderland to Bootham Crescent tomorrow night.

Garforth play in the yellow of Brazil, and Socrates once graced the pitch at Cedar Park, but there had been little flair on show from the home side until Brown’s late finish.

The Minstermen coasted along, could easily have added to their total with more composure in front of goal, and City manager Gary Mills’ biggest worry appeared to be a first-half injury to David McDermott, who looked to have suffered a nasty ankle turn.

His men started brightly, popping passes around crisply and James Meredith and Lanre Oyebanjo troubling the home side with their overlapping from full-back.

It was Walker at the heart of York’s early chances.

First, he headed across goal after Meredith delivered from the left before again failing to find the target a couple of minutes later from Matty Blair’s cross from the right.

McDermott might have given City the lead on 18 minutes following another barnstorming run from Oyebanjo but, after being served with the pass eight yards out, he was unable to control the ball.

Garforth were physical, and tight, and grew in confidence as the half went on, but without looking particularly threatening.

Michael Ingham had only one first-half save to make.

Ben Higginson, his opposite number, hadn’t been much busier but he sprang into action on 28 minutes to hold a smart shot to his right from Patrick McLaughlin, who smacked a rasping drive from 18 yards after picking up the ball in broken play.

Garforth had the services of former York defender Darren Kelly at the back but he was soon made to look pedestrian by Blair.

City’s summer signature from Kidderminster swept the ball past the centre-back and drove towards the box before feeding a waiting Ashley Chambers in space on the left.

His shot, ballooned over the bar, did not match the build-up.

Kelly looked better when subsequently throwing himself at a McDermott drive after the midfielder had found a shooting position following a clever side-step.

But Blair was a menace and almost scored ten minutes before the break when moving in from the right side of the box and toe-poking the ball just past the far post.

Then he had a fierce shot deep in the area which whistled past the top right corner.

City finally got the goal their better chances had deserved right on half-time.

The danger looked to have been cleared as Meredith’s run down to the by-line was stopped by a trio of defenders but Garforth were clumsy in possession and when McLaughlin nipped in on the edge of the box and fed Walker, he tucked the ball over Higginson into the left-hand corner.

Following a string of changes at the break, City’s second-half side were immediately on the attack.

George Purcell smashed the ball into the side-netting within seconds of coming on, while Adriano Moké, who replaced the injured McDermott, saw a tamer effort saved a couple of minutes later.

Musselwhite, on at half-time for Ingham, got down well to his left to stop a low Adam Priestley shot on 58 minutes but normal service was soon resumed.

Higginson produced a fine save from Liam Henderson’s fierce shot across him on 67 minutes, after battling work from Jamie Reed, but the former Watford striker was guilty of an awful miss 15 minutes from the end when putting the ball past the left hand post with only Higginson to beat.

They were made to pay at the death for their profligacy when Brown was fed the ball in acres of space on the left edge of the penalty area, moved forward and finished expertly into the net.

York City: Ingham (Musselwhite 46), Oyebanjo (Fyfield 46), Smith (Allen 76), Parslow (Holland 76), Meredith (McGurk 46), Blair (Potts 46), McLaughlin (Kerr 46), Boucaud (Purcell 46), McDermott (Moké 37), Chambers (Reed 46), Walker (Henderson 46).