City's under-19s marked their final friendly before a pre-season trip to Spain with victory, emphatically beating Brighouse Town 5-1 at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium last Friday.
Ryan Farrell’s young Bantams recorded a comfortable win thanks a brace apiece from Dylan Youmbi and Keke Jeffers, after Freddie Jeffreys had opened the scoring.
It was City’s youthful side who looked the most promising in the early moments of the game as they looked to attack down the right-hand side, with Nathan Tinsdale and Bobby Pointon linking up nicely and the latter swinging in several dangerous crosses.
Despite the exciting link-up play between the City forwards, it was Brighouse who produced the first attempt at goal when Laurence Sorhaindho had his 30-yard effort saved by Heath Richardson.
Moments after, Brighouse thought they had opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Jack Boyle's cross was met by Sorhaindho, but an impressive reflex stop from Richardson denied him.
Then, with just 15 minutes played, Brighouse’s Boyle saw his thumping strike from the left-hand side tipped onto the crossbar by Richardson, as the hosts continued to grow in confidence.
However, it was the young Bantams who broke the deadlock when Jeffreys pounced on an opportunity, following Brighouse goalkeeper Mikey Roxborough's mistake, to stroke home calmly just after the half-hour mark.
Farrell's side were not ahead for long, however, as soon after, with 41 minutes gone, Brighouse found an equaliser through Alex King, who notched from close range after meeting Boyle's cross.
With the game drawing closer to half-time, both teams looked to head into the break in the lead, but it was the home side who again threatened as Boyle's effort was palmed onto the post.
It was an electric start from the young Bantams in the second period as City’s No.9 Dylan Youmbi made it 2-1 just seconds after the restart, with a strong, left-footed effort.
Youmbi was buoyed by the confidence of his first goal and grasped a second in the 49th minute from close range to increase City's advantage, when Brighouse failed to clear again.
As the game approached its end with Farrell's players still in a commanding position, the visitors continued to ask questions of the Brighouse defence and added another in the closing stages.
It was Pointon who won the ball back for the Bantams after pressing well. He played a defence-splitting pass into the path of No.11 Keke Jeffers, who finished off a well-worked move by slotting past the goalkeeper.
With just three minutes remaining, City put the cherry on their cake with a fifth goal, scored again by Jeffers.
Freddie Jeffreys received the ball on the edge of his own area on the half-turn. He drove through midfield before releasing a perfectly-weighted ball to Jeffers, who made sure of the win and ended the game on a positive note, before City flew out to Granada for a two-week-long LFE-funded pre-season training camp.
CITY: Heath Richardson; Nathan Tinsdale, Casey Breaks, Noah Wadsworth, Ali Dalghous; Raj Palit, Freddy Jeffreys, Isaac Robinson (Finlay Gledhill 70’); Bobby Pointon ©, Raekealan Jeffers, Dylan Youmbi. Subs (not used): Gellan (GK), Hadi (GK); Kamwa, G. Wadsworth, Sedibeh, Ibbitson, Edgley.
GOALS: Jeffreys (31’), Youmbi (46’, 49’), Jeffers (79’, 87’).
BRIGHOUSE: Mikey Roxborough (Charlie English 60’); TJ (Harry Wilkinson 60’), Harrison Beeden (Aiden Walker 45’), Matty Nebard ©, Callum Charlton; Javelle Clarke, James Hurtley (Sam Drake 60’), Alex King (Jack Normanton 45’); James Tetley (Tom Haigh 45'), Jack Boyle (Elliott Harrison 60’), Laurence Sorhaindho.
GOALS: King (41’).