Winterton Rangers 1 – 2 Hull City

Hull City took a young and inexperienced side to Winterton Rangers last night, managed by Nick Barmby and Stuart Watkiss as Nigel Pearson watched on from the stands.

Liam Cooper, Will Atkinson, Mark Cullen and Tom Cairney were the only players on show with top flight experience, while Nicky Featherstone has some league experience from limited starts during his spell with The Tigers.

Nigel Pearson permitted the use of the juniors in last night`s match as he watched on, with centre-back Remi Fournier partnering Liam Cooper as he attempted to earn a permanent contract. Subsequent reports from Radio Humberside suggests that the Frenchman has not done enough, although the decision has not yet been finalised.

After growing into the fixture which saw Winterton exert the early pressure, the young City side started to flourish, eventually breaking the deadlock near the half-hour mark as Danny Emmerton lobbed the ball over a stranded Jamie Allen in the Winterton goal.

Gavin Holahan soon added a second, powering in from close range after the ball had bounced off the bar, but Winterton could have levelled minutes earlier had Mark Oxley not been able to deny Winterton striker Wilkin during a one on one situation.

Of particular note was City`s willing to press the opposition high up the pitch, allowing the side to regain possession in dangerous areas. It was also noticeable that both full-backs, Gardner and Deagle, were encouraged to get forward whenever possible, bringing a new dimension to the City attack that was rarely seen in the Premier League.

The second half was disrupted by a series of substitutions, but Winterton started to emerge as the dominant force. Having previously been denied, Wilkin gave Winterton hope with a close range finish fifteen minutes from time, but City held on to win the first pre-season fixture of the 2010/11 calendar.

A more experienced side is to take to the field against North Ferriby on Wednesday night as Nigel Pearson continues to monitor the performance of his new side.