PRE-SEASON friendlies are a notorious barometer by which to measure a team's progress.

So often a sparkling build-up to a new campaign can turn flat - but try telling that to a York City fan today.

Had the Minstermen been able to find a cutting edge to their slick approach play their Premiership neighbours Leeds United would have been limping back down the A64 after an embarrasing hiding instead of a 1-1 draw.

While City played with passion, skill and purpose, lacklustre Leeds went through the motions and should have been sunk without trace in the opening first half.

All the big-name internationals may have been wearing Leeds shirts, but last night's class acts at Bootham Crescent wore the red of York with pride.

Leeds may have come for a training excercise, but City, bolstered by trialists keen to earn contracts, showed a hunger that threatened to devour Peter Reid's motley strolling players.

City were up for a game, but Mark Viduka wasn't, the petulant Australian striker being taken off by his manager barely quarter-of-an-hour into the game after a spat with Andrew Jordan.

That incident said it all. City were prepared to scrap and battle for everything while Leeds didn't fancy an evening of rough and tumble.

City's attitude was spot-on and their play was laced with some marvellous approach work as Lee Bullock, Darren Dunning and Leigh Wood out-fought and out-passed their midfield counterparts.

United's disorganised defence was opened up with ease and Liam George should have converted two easy chances with Nigel Martyn exposed.

Dunning then stepped up to slap a 25-yard free-kick against a post with Martyn beaten on the half-hour before Arron Wilford, who gave 18-year-old French defender Joel Sammi a torrid time, had an effort cleared off the line by Michael Duberry.

Pedestrian Leeds created next to nothing and nearly a third of the match had gone before Chris Porter, solid in City's goal, got down well to keep out an Ian Harte trademark free-kick.

Mass substitutions didn't help the flow of the game but, as defences reorganised, goals were conceded at both ends in the space of a couple of minutes.

Eirik Bakke announced his arrival by heading in Jason Wilcox's cross for Leeds. City drew level with a Christian Fox penalty after Danny Mills bundled over Stephen Capper.

Jordan was the only York played to complete 90 minutes and looked very solid, both Porter and Craig Turns did nothing wrong in goal, speedy Steve Downes looked sharp at right wing-back, while French import Fabien Bossy came on for the final 30 minutes in a holding midfield role.

Whether the willing George and Wilford are the answer in attack remains to be seen, but City player-manager Chris Brass certainly got plenty of plus points out of last night's game.

YORK CITY 1 LEEDS UNITED 1

YORK CITY: Porter (Turns HT), Downes (Edmondson 55), Brass (Smith HT), Wise (Cooper 76), Jordan, Merris (Capper 55), Bullock (Fox HT), Dunning (Brackstone 60), Wood (Bossy 60), Wilford (Parkin 55), George (Nogan 50). Goal: Fox pen 59.

LEEDS UNITED: Martyn (Milosevic 78), Kelly (Mills 60), Harte (Richardson 58), Duberry (Kilgallon 50), Sammi, Batty (Bakke 50), Barmby (Rostoe 58), Seth Johnson (McPhail 55), Wilcox (Milner 58), Viduka (Rodrigo 16, Okon 70), Smith. Goal: Bakke 57.

REFEREE: Alan Kaye (Wakefield) ATTENDANCE: 7,295

Updated: 10:04 Thursday, July 24, 2003