All but one player boasts senior experience as York City field their strongest reserve team for several seasons.

Hurly Turley: York City goal scorer James Turley (right) puts Ipswich Town defender Titus Bramble under pressure during last night's FA Youth Cup fourth round tie at Portman Road. City's youngsters forced a 1-1 draw and will replay against the Suffolk side at Bootham Crescent next Tuesday.

The reserves entertain Halifax Town in a Pontin's League Cup tie at home tonight, kick-off 7pm, when they will include a quartet of players eagerly seeking to confirm their fitness.

Midfielders Steve Agnew and Alan Pouton, plus defender Neil Thompson and goalkeeper Andy Warrington, are all in the starting line-up.

Thompson and Pouton have been granted specialist permission to go flat-out in their push for recovery after respective Achilles and ankle injuries that have sidelined them for more than three months.

Agnew and Warrington meanwhile have been out of action since well before Christmas.

Said Thompson: "Pouts and myself have been given the all-clear after, and with Steve Agnew and Andy Warrington we'll all be trying to play as much of tonight's game as possible.

"If we can get a full-strength squad from which to choose between now and the end of the season then that can only be good for the club."

The only City reserve who has not featured in the first team is winger David Williamson. He continues his trial spell with City, for whom he made his Pontin's debut last week.

Meanwhile, Oldham, who visit Bootham Crescent on Saturday, can expect a Football League rap after a traffic breakdown stalled the kick-off to last night's game at FA Cup aces Fulham by 46 minutes.

After the team coach broke down near Brentford the Latics made the journey across London in rush-hour traffic to Craven Cottage in cars and a minibus organised by the hosts.

Fulham's victory, courtesy of a first-half Simon Morgan goal, combined with Preston's 3-1 defeat at Bournemouth to restore Kevin Keegan's men to top place in Division Two.

The Cottagers now lead Preston by three points and have a game in hand.

York City reserves: Warrington, Dawson, Reed, Rennison, Thompson, Williamson, Agnew, Pouton, Prendergast, Tolson, Woods. Subs: to be announced.

Turley's strike earns City kids replay

York City's FA Youth Cup adventure was expertly extended to at last include a home episode.

City's gallant youth team drew 1-1 at Ipswich Town last night prompting a replay at Bootham Crescent on Tuesday, February 2 in the bid to earn a fifth round tie, which will also be at home.

Drawn away all through the campaign, City surged ahead in the fourth round collision in East Anglia, striker James Turley on target with an opportunist strike nine minutes into the second-half.

But hopes of a fourth successive away conquest following triumphs at Burscough, Wigan and Stoke City were crushed in the last ten minutes. Ipswich's Carl Wright struck a late leveller to regain parity in City's historic first sortie to Portman Road.

City player-coach Neil Thompson, himself making a rare return to his former Ipswich club, praised the City performance.

"They worked really hard throughout the game and created enough chances to maybe have sneaked the win," he enthused.

"It was a keenly-contested game to say the least. But I think Ipswich were quite impressed at the standard of our lads. At least they are now at home for next week's replay."

City have already bagged a bonus for the resumption of hostilities next Tuesday.

Ipswich's highly-valued central defender and skipper, Titus Bramble, will miss the replay because of suspension after incurring five bookings - three in Combination games and two for the Ipswich senior ranks against Sunderland and Grimsby.

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