GUISELEY 1 CITY 2

AFTER the blurry memories of Germany, last night’s trip to Nethermoor brought pre-season into sharper focus for City and their fans.

Anyone still nursing a fuzzy head from the Echterdingen antics returned to reality as the warm-up programme stepped up a gear.

Guiseley represented the first proper pre-season test for Stuart McCall’s men and they didn’t disappoint.

The National League side traditionally give City a proper examination and McCall respected that by naming a strong side as he had said he would.

The line-up could not have been furthered removed from the one Phil Parkinson fielded two years ago that was derided for being chock-full of trialists.

Those paying their money last night were treated to the sight of established first-teamers topping up their minutes. The ones left out will be doing the same against Eccleshill tonight.

The exception is Charlie Wyke as a continued precaution to the slight hamstring issue that stopped him featuring at the weekend.

City’s only non-employee last night – and he will be hoping that’s not the case for much longer – was Gordon Greer.

The former Scottish international did his chances of earning that contract offer no harm with the equaliser as the visitors came from behind in the second half to claim the win.

The first sign that it was starting to get serious for the Bantams was the excellent condition of the Guiseley pitch – no sign of the “elephant grass” from the Sportpark Goldacker.

And the home side came straight out the blocks with an early salvo which brought the opening goal.

Jake Lawlor had already headed wide and Colin Doyle saved from one of the trialists when another nodded inside the near post from a corner taken by well-travelled winger Kevan Hurst.

It took a while for the Bantams to recover their senses before Paul Taylor lashed wide from an angle.

Tony McMahon, skipper for the night, then came forward to have two chances in as many minutes.

Both came from Nicky Law crosses; the first shot turned round the post by Jonny Maxted, the second a free header where the right back got his radar all wrong.

Law and Jake Reeves, whose passing stood out, were busy as City started to get in their stride and Taylor, playing at the tip of the midfield diamond, fired just past the post again.

McCall has already highlighted the developing Law and Adam Chicksen partnership on the left flank. And as half-time approached, the full back overlapped on a pass to whip in a teasing low cross that flew across the goal mouth.

A flare was let off among the City fans as the visitors continued to push after the break. Nathaniel Knight-Percival headed over and Omari Patrick, whose pace had been under-used up to that point, forced a low save.

Taylor put a tame effort straight at Maxted after Reeves picked up a loose pass. Then Knight-Percival had the best chance to level but could not get over his close-range header from McMahon’s free-kick.

City’s pressure paid off after 64 minutes from their next set-piece as McMahon’s corner found Greer to score with a thumping downward header.

Guiseley made wholesale changes at that point but McCall stuck with his starters to put more minutes into their legs.

The energy levels looked good and City took the lead in the 76th minute after Poleon was brought down from behind inside the Guiseley D.

Up stepped McMahon to bend a low free-kick round the wall – and maybe put down a marker to Shay McCartan, the summer arrival with the reputation for being a set-piece specialist.

City went after a third as Guiseley found themselves pressed in their own half.

But they did threaten late on through the well-travelled Kayode Odejayi, one of the army of trialists.

The imposing 35-year-old, best known for his FA Cup exploits with Barnsley, found room for a shot which Colin Doyle did well to parry.

City’s keeper had one more test to negotiate from distance but McCall will have been happy with his side’s work. After the slow start, they had controlled the game and bossed it after the break.

GUISELEY: Maxted, Trialist, Williams, Trialist, Lowe, Lawlor, Trialist, Rooney, Thompson, Trialist, Trialist.

CITY: Doyle, McMahon, Greer (Barr 81), Knight-Percival, Chicksen, Reeves, Devine, Law, Taylor (Hudson 78), Poleon (Robinson 78), Patrick. Subs: Gunner, Hanson, Peters, Powell, Sykes-Kenworthy.