Wantaway Brown on the scoresheet as Darlington draw with York

DARLINGTON captain Gary Brown marked his first appearance since going on the transfer list by scoring in last night’s 1-1 draw with York City.

He wishes to leave for family reasons, but as yet none of the offers from clubs interested in signing him have been good enough for manager Martin Gray to sanction the sale of the centre-back.

Gray reiterated his stance after last night’s game at Heritage Park, when Brown put Quakers ahead midway through the second half, before a York side of fringe players equalised through a trialist.

“Gary will not be going anywhere, simple as that, until that money is exactly what I want,” said Gray. “We’re in no rush to get rid of him.

“I won’t say what the price is, but until that price is met he will stay with us because he has got a two-year contract.”

Brown was named among the subs for Quakers’ latest friendly against a York team that included only a handful of players with first-team experience.

One of those, transfer-listed winger Lindon Meikle, fired wide from inside the penalty area when presented with the evening’s first opportunity on an unseasonably wet and chilly evening.

The slippery Heritage Park pitch encouraged passing football and Darlington played some good stuff at times, and after good work between Stephen Thompson and Nathan Cartman striker David Dowson saw a shot go over the bar.

Former Sunderland defender Tom McNamee was one of two trialists in the Darlington starting XI, the other being ex-Middlesbrough youngster Ryan Brobbel, although he did not appear on the team sheet.

The left-winger spent time two spells on loan at York in 2013-14 as well as his hometown club Hartlepool United last season and while not being outstanding he provided some moments of quality during a match moderately entertaining as friendlies go.

He fired a half-chance wide of the post with an angled shot after exchanging passes with Cartman inside the penalty area, and later ended up on the right flak when taking the ball beyond a York opponent.

York, who play at home to Newcastle United tomorrow, also had two trialists in their side, named “A” and “B” on the team sheet.

Mr B, wearing number 16, will have hoped to make a better impression than completely miskicking the ball when attempting a cross just before half-time, a manoeuvre which resulted in him falling flat on his face.

A flying save by Michael Ingham, who had a loan spell with Quakers over a decade ago, kept out a dipping 20-yard drive by Brobbel as the home side made a strong start to the second half.

They made only one change at the break, Adam Mitchell for Thompson, but as -is seemingly obligatory in pre-season fixtures they made a raft of substitutions during the second period.

On the hour Gray made a triple change that saw Brown enter the fray as a makeshift forward and within minutes he had opened the scoring.

Trialist right-back Bradley Staunch, a contender to replace the skipper, won a free-kick when bursting forward, and from Mitchell’s free-kick Brown headed home at the far post.

He was a popular goalscorer among the meagre crowd of 344, but the York fans among them were soon cheering when Trialist B slotted home after latching on to a through-ball from Meikle.

Staunch was among four trialists were given another chance to impress as second-half substitutes - Tom White, Lewis Gibbons and Alex Kitchen the others – though it was Thompson, who returned to the pitch late on, who forced the next save out of Ingham.

The experienced keeper dived low to his left to push away a powerful blast., before Kitchen had a header cleared off the line after a Mitchell corner.

Gray was characteristically tight-lipped regarding the trialists, saying only: “They did alright. We’ve got another game on Saturday at Whitby and we’ll have another look at them then.”

Striker Graeme Armstrong hopes to make his comeback on Saturday as he returns from a serious abdominal injury.

He has began training with his team-mates again after stepping up his fitness work since having half of his pancreas removed following a collision with the Bamber Bridge goalkeeper in the play-off final.

Goals: Brown (69, 1-0); Trialist B (75, 1-1)

Referee: Seb Stockbridge

Attendance: 344

Darlington: Jameson; McNamme (Staunch 64), Burgess (A White 59), Hunter (Brown 59), Galbraith (Watson 59); Thompson (A Mitchell 46), Turnbull (Gibbons 64), Portas (T White 64), Brobbel; Cartman (Kitchen 68), Dowson (Thompson 68). Subs (not used): Kitchen

York City: Ingham, Meikle, Rzonca, Trialist A, Godfrey, Carson, Trialist B, Swan, Platt, Ilesanmi, Nolan. Subs: Price, Salmon, Freer, Brettle, Hirst, Wilson