YORK City boss Russ Wilcox reckons defender Keith Lowe can target double figures after taking his goal tally to four this season.

Lowe bagged a second-half brace as the Minstermen came back from a goal down at bottom-of-the-table Hartlepool to secure a vital 3-1 win with Jake Hyde also on target as the visitors netted three times in a whirlwind ten-minute spell.

Last season’s The Press Player of the Year Lowe is now this term’s joint-top marksman at Bootham Crescent, along with front two Hyde and Wes Fletcher and Wilcox – a former centre back himself – believes Lowe can continue to be a threat at set-pieces.

All of Lowe’s goals in 2014/15 have been headers with Wilcox saying: “The most I ever got in a season was five so Keith’s well on the way to beating that and maybe he should go for ten.

“You need people with the guts and spirit to get on the end of things and he showed that.”

Wilcox added that better decisions from dead-ball deliveries contributed to Lowe’s two goals in as many minutes.

“I was really disappointed with our set-plays in the last home game against Oxford so we have done some work to improve them,” the City boss explained. “You can make all the good runs in the world but, if the balls in aren’t good enough, you won’t score.

“It was great for Lowey to get one from the first phase from Josh Carson’s corner and then it was a fantastic header for the second after Russ Penn had used his imagination from the corner to go past their player and put a great cross in.”

Wilcox went on to hail Carson as a shining beacon for the rest of the squad after the 21-year-old winger completed an entire match on his first start since suffering cruciate ligament damage in March.

“It was tough for Josh but he did fantastically well to get through 90 minutes,” the City boss admitted. “He showed big heart and was shattered at the end, but that’s how every player should feel after a game anyway.

“You need to put a shift in for the shirt, the football club and its supporters. I asked Josh a few times how he was and kept egging him on to stay on for another five minutes and he went on to last the whole 90.

“He gives us a different dimension. He came off the line a bit too much in the first half.

“I want him to do that at times, but we also need to give the strikers some space and they weren’t getting that in the first half. We changed that in the second half and, if Josh can stay on and last 90 minutes after being out since March, that’s a great example for the rest of the lads.”

Having seen his side recover from a poor first-half showing that saw City trail at the interval, Wilcox also felt a significant psychological challenge was overcome, reasoning: “It was a fantastic second-half performance and, in terms of moving forward, we came through a massive mental test with flying colours.

“We were 1-0 down away from home and we looked leggy in the first half. I thought Tuesday night’s game at Wimbledon was catching up with us and I was concerned.

“After a positive first 15 minutes, we kept passing the ball back and square without penetrating. I want us to be a passing team but I want us to pass with purpose and penetration and we did that in the second half.

“That creates gaps and opportunities to score goals. We showed togetherness and quality to get two goals from set plays and another from a terrific finish from Jake.

“The way we then managed the rest of the game was also a big positive. We saw the game out fairly comfortably for a huge three points because we are now six clear of the bottom two.”

Lewis Montrose made way for Luke Summerfield in midfield at the break and Wilcox praised the substitute for his impact on the game, saying: “Every time Luke got the ball, he played it forward.

“It was a tough decision because Lewis can do that too, but you need to have strength in depth and Luke did himself no harm with that performance.”

On-loan Burnley shot-stopper Alex Cisak, meanwhile, was preferred to Michael Ingham in goal but Wilcox pointed out that he is pleased with the level of competition for that position.

“It was a tough call but a nice choice to make and I need a lot more like that to put pressure on people in all areas of the team,” the City chief explained. “It’s always about the group and not individuals. We are in the process of extending Alex’s loan until January.

“Burley would then have an instant call back but, if that happened, Inghy has performed well when called upon. We’ve also brought Brad Halliday in and I felt Marvin McCoy had his best game since I’ve been here.

“He got forward more in the second half and, sometimes, even when you bring players in and you don’t use them as much as you might like, it can push players on to keep the shirt.”

City were supported by a 799-strong travelling army at Victoria Park and Wilcox appreciated their backing, saying: “The fans were absolutely outstanding and it was brilliant to get all three goals at their end, so they all went home happy, but not as happy as me.”