YORK City boss Chris Brass wants leading scorer Lee Bullock to net ten goals this season for the first time in his career.

Brass gave the 22-year-old midfielder his double-figured target in the summer and his winning goal in yesterday's 1-0 defeat of Kidderminster took his tally to five for the campaign.

Bullock waited 39 games before scoring his first goal in City colours but has now scored 25 times since his 1998 debut and Brass is backing the Stockton-born midfielder to better his previous best season in front of goal when he finished 2001/2002 with nine goals.

Yesterday's effort moved Bullock one ahead of assistant manager Lee Nogan in this season's goal charts and afterwards City boss Brass said: "You want your goals to come from your strikers but Lee (Bullock) always weighs in with his share. He's now got five this season and he will get more.

"I want double figures from him and I am sure he will get them. We asked him at the start of the season to get ten because he plays as our advanced midfielder."

Bullock played in front of Darren Dunning and Richard Copper in the Minstermen's midfield yesterday with Mitch Ward on the bench after recovering from a calf and hamstring problems.

Brass admitted afterwards, however, that he thought about introducing the ex-Everton midfielder as a substitute.

He said: "We thought about bringing him on at half-time because of his experience and his ability to get on the ball but, as the game went on, it did not need a change because we had the impetus. I felt we were a little bit scrappy in the first half but were deserved winners in the second.

"When we got the goal we stepped up and were trying to get a second but unfortunately it did not come. But we got three points so I'm not complaining.

"Richard Cooper and Jon Shaw both got themselves in goalscoring positions and we are getting more people in the box which is giving us more chance of scoring but I think the most pleasing thing is the way we fought to get the ball back. I think that epitomises what our team is about."

Brass also praised Jon Parkin for the defensive job he has undertaken in the absence of the suspended Richard Hope, whose ban expires after the Boxing Day home clash against Hull.

Parkin's late goal-line clearance safeguarded the victory against Kidderminster and the City manager said: "Jon's done well. We have asked him to do a job at the moment in defence and, after having an erratic first three minutes, he came good and his big wig saved us at the end."

The victory moved City to within just two points of a play-off place and Brass added: "It sets us up nicely for Boxing Day and the derby game. I think the atmosphere will be electric now against Hull.

"They set the division alight at the start of the season but have had a bit of a dip and hopefully we can catch them on the hop."

On-loan City forward Aron Wilford helped Worksop Town to a 6-0 away win at Ossett Town in the UniBond League President's Cup.

Updated: 11:01 Monday, December 22, 2003