GOALKEEPING is not, in general, a young man's game.

Footballing concensus dictates that the specialist position requires a mental strength superior to all others on a playing field.

An ability to recover and learn from mistakes - so crucial to any keeper contemplating a career between the sticks - is normally acquired with maturity and life experience hence the prevalence of 30-something, first-choice stoppers up and down the country.

Even David Seaman, before he hit the heights with Arsenal and England, was cast aside by Leeds United as a youngster.

But, on Saturday, York City's teenage keeper David Stockdale, who hails just a long punt away from Elland Road, provided the biggest hints yet that he could buck the goalkeeping trend.

The 19-year-old stopper has been a revelation ever since his unexpected elevation into the first team following Paul Crichton's departure and Chris Porter's red card.

His biggest test, however, was always going to be how he would react after coming under scrutiny for his first blunder which, for a goalkeeper, usually proves costly.

It was against Farnborough. The Hampshire side were gifted a 13th-minute lead when Stockdale stooped low to gather Danny Allen-Page's harmless cross only for the ball to unexpectedly squirm out of his grasp.

Player-boss Chris Brass almost spared the teenager's blushes with a heroic clearance from Stephen Hughes' goalbound shot but both were powerless to stop Gary Holloway's follow-up effort from ten yards.

Stockdale held his head in horror afterwards but, revealingly, went on to produce the kind of composed and focused performance that has typified his impressive ten-match stint in the first team.

He also produced three excellent saves - all from unfortunate and dumbfounded home midfielder Tony Taggart - to keep City in the game after the interval.

Stockdale was determined to provide the platform for Andy Bishop to snatch his late equaliser and, belying the vulnerability of youth, refused to wobble, appearing instead to come of age after his schoolboy error.

In contrast, Farnborough keeper Craig Holloway was rarely troubled by a shot-shy City display.

Darren Dunning blazed over from the edge of the box when Paul Groves' initial attempt was blocked on six minutes but, after Farnborough's goal, the Minstermen's only other first-half chances fell to player-coach Lee Nogan.

The 35-year-old striker was caught and tackled by home defender Sasha Opinel after being sent clear on 21 minutes by Dunning and, quarter of an hour later, with only keeper Holloway to beat, struck a 15-yard shot high and wide as Adam Theo breathed down his neck.

City also had loud appeals for a penalty turned down three minutes before half-time when Mark Rooney's trip on Bryan Stewart was deemed to be an inch outside rather than inside the area.

At the other end, Holloway shot wide from 20 yards just two minutes after his goal and Lloyd Blackman cut in from the left to fire narrowly over from a similar distance moments later.

Bishop's 25-yard effort flashed wide 11 seconds after the restart but Farnborough created the better second-half chances and Stockdale provided his first act of redemption on 58 minutes, tipping over Taggart's edge-of-the-box drive.

City enjoyed spells of possession but struggled to break down a resilient home defence and Groves' 67th-minute shot from a Paul Robinson cross was blocked brilliantly by Anthony Charles before Stockdale's fingertips denied Taggart again after Hughes and Holloway had combined to create a great opportunity.

Hughes then headed over from five yards and Taggart left Brass trailing in his wake to run clear on goal only for Stockdale to smother the ball at the Farnborough midfielder's feet.

A minute later, City equalised when Brass, finding himself in an unusually advanced centre forward position, challenged home captain Nick Burton in the air and Stewart seized on the loose ball.

He delivered an accurate low cross from the byline to Bishop, who sidefooted past Holloway at the far post.

The 21-year-old forward had struggled to hold the ball up for most of the game but was delighted to claim his third goal in four league matches.

City then survived a couple of goalmouth scrambles and a mis-hit Rooney cross that bounced off the top of the crossbar before claiming a point.

Match facts:

Nationwide Conference

Saturday, October 9, 2004

at Cherrywood Road

City ratings:

Key: 10 - Faultless; 9 - Outstanding; 8 - Excellent; 7 - Good; 6 - Average; 5 - Below par; 4 - Poor; 3 - Dud; 2 - Hopeless; 1 - Retire

Stockdale 8

Brass 6

Pearson 7

Davies 7

Merris 6

Robinson 6

Dunning 6

Groves 6

Stewart 6 (Smith 84)

Bishop 6

Nogan 6 (Yalcin 51, 6)

Subs not used: Porter, Coad, Staley.

Star man: Stockdale - Recovered brilliantly to atone for his error.

Farnborough: Craig Holloway, Rooney, Burton, Charles, Theo (Miles, 53), Opinel, Allen-Page, Gary Holloway, Taggart, Blackman, Stephen Hughes. Subs not used: Osborn, Robert Hughes, Harkness, Townsend.

Yellow cards: Blackman 42.

Red cards: None

Referee: Bob Desmond (Oxfordshire). Rating: Got involved in unnecessary slanging matches with players and coaches but did donate £10 to City's Supporters Trust in the bar after the game.

Attendance: 724

Weather watch: Blustery.

Game breaker: Stockdale's third great save at the feet of Tony Taggart. The Minstermen were level a minute later.

Match rating: Persistence and patience paid off against a solid Farnborough defence but City are capable of better.

Player watch: Chris Brass

Shots on target: 0 Goals: 0

Shots off target: 0

Passes to own player: 17

Passes to opposition: 10

Crosses to own player: 1

Crosses to opposition: 1

Pass completion rate: 62.1 per cent

Dribbles ball retained: 0 Dribbles ball lost: 0

Headers: 7 Tackles: 5 Offsides: 0

Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 6

Free kicks won: 2 Free kicks conceded: 0 Bookings: 0

Final summary: City's player manager deputised again for Graeme Law at right back and did an adequate job. His distribution could have been better but he helped create Andy Bishop's goal and was unlucky that a terrific clearance could not prevent Farnborough taking the lead.

Updated: 09:36 Monday, October 11, 2004