The pandemic may have ruined plans to spend pre-season in Portugal, but Steve Bruce's wish for some warm weather training was granted on Sunday in the unlikely setting of North Yorkshire.

Sadly for him though, too many of his players looked more in the mood for a siesta against their sixth tier opponents and fell to a late sucker punch after wasting a succession of scoring chances.

When a positive COVID test on Friday ruled out Karl Darlow and forced fellow custodians Mark Gillespie and Freddie Woodman to self-isolate, plans to field two senior sides simultaneously here and at Harrogate Town were shelved - and the U23s were dispatched from Tyneside to play at Wetherby Road. 

It was especially unfortunate for Woodman, set to join Bournemouth on loan when a foot injury to Martin Dubravka saw him hastily recalled to the United training camp at Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate - only to then pay the price for training in close proximity to Darlow. 

That did present an opportunity for fifth choice goalkeeper Dan Langley to make a senior bow; the 20 year-old Northumbrian on the bench at home to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League last season.

And with Jake Turner and Will Brown chosen for U23 duty, Academy 'keeper Max Thompson was named as a substitute here at York - a fortnight before he turns seventeen. He watched from the welcome shade of seats behind the away bench, a couple of rows away from his dad - NUFC kitman Ray.

With Florian Lejeune absent (confirmed to be leaving the club permanently despite impressing in training) and Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth both still on their holidays, United's three man central defensive unit underwent yet another personnel change.

That saw Federico Fernandez line up alongside the returning Jamaal Lascelles and Kelland Watts; the 21 year-old back from a season-long loan at League One Plymouth Argyle and given another opportunity by Bruce, who had allowed him a cameo role in the closing game of the season before last.

A rare outbreak of common sense from United leading up to this game resulted in Joelinton inheriting the number 7 shirt vacated by the departing Andy Carroll, allowing Callum Wilson to make his first public appearance as a Magpie here clad in the 9 jersey (he missed the closing two games of last season due to injury when he had number 13).

Sadly though the Brazilian was almost immediately afflicted with the injury curse of Carroll and within 12 minutes had fallen over in a heap and done something to his thigh, which saw him belatedly withdrawn. By then the trainer had already been on the field when Isaac Hayden went tumbling.

There were some scoring chances for the visitors in between the medical interludes and water breaks; Ryan Fraser getting forward in a central role to take Dwight Gayle's pass and shave the goal frame with a long range chip.

Both goalkeepers then did well to retain clean sheets - Langley flinging himself to palm away Duckworth's shot before opposite number Whitley made a point-blank save to keep out Jacob Murphy's back post header.

Scoreless at the interval, the expected introduction of Allan Saint-Maximin brought optimism of a breakthrough, but it would be the home side who produced the next two pieces of goalmouth action.

A goalbound effort by Clayton Donaldson was blocked in the box on the hour mark, shortly before Whitley in the City goal had to tip over a dangerous effort dropping into his own goal via a home defender.

After Matt Ritchie had forced a decent stop from Whitley, a mesmerising run from ASM and exchange of passes with Gayle seemed finally have done the trick on 76 minutes - only for the Frenchman to ping his shot into a home player rather than picking his spot.

With the game apparently set for 0-0 and United reduced to fielding Yoshinori Muto, York unexpectedly won it - just as your correspondent had decided on a headline of Ebor bore (hasty attempts to conjure up a cricket-themed one combining Jamal Lewis and goalscorer Duckworth thankfully failed...)

A underwhelming defeat then made worse by the lowly level of the opposition, but we've watched far too many meaningless encounters in daft places to attach any real significance to this result.

It might not quite fit everyone's narrative, but temperatures of 28 degrees at kick-off are a significant factor, as are a lack of experienced goalkeepers. Not to rain on Langley's parade, but he saved more difficult efforts than the one that denied him a clean sheet - almost entering the net in slow motion.

It's also as well to recall the increasingly structured nature of pre-season, when players physically (and perhaps psychologically) go through the gears, depending on the proximity to the season. Were this game to have been at the end of pre-season like the 1-6 at Leyton Orient in 2009 then the alarm bells would be ringing.

Despite all that though, it's plain to see - and completely logical - that not much has changed since last season, or the three or four previous to that, given the personnel on show.

In the absence of significant transfer funds, easy options have been exercised to keep familiar faces on board in the hope that they'll replicate enough of their talent to keep us treading water and while away another year.

New shirts and number changes fail to disguise the unending mediocrity of Hendrick and others, general discomfort in possession and a Willock-sized hole in the midfield that even Bruce admitted was concerning.

Biffa