MICHAEL Ingham believes York City will cope with Kevin Nicholson’s set-piece deliveries when Torquay United visit Bootham Crescent tomorrow.

With captain Lee Mansell suspended, Nicholson is expected to be the only player in Torquay’s team that played in the last encounter between the two teams four years ago.

On that occasion, the Gulls secured a 2-1 away triumph after a Nicholson free-kick led to a controversial winning goal in stoppage time.

Mark Ellis pounced to net after Tim Sills appeared to clatter into Ingham as he went to gather Nicholson’s inswinging delivery.

The 32-year-old former Scarborough full back has continued to be a dead-ball specialist for the Devon side since they were promoted to League Two at the end of that 2008/9 campaign.

On his threat, Ingham said: “The standard of deliveries and finishing in League Two is high. It’s been a step up and we know that Kev puts in a great ball so we will have to be wary of that and stay strong at set-plays.

“I don’t know if they are a big team but I won’t be worried because we haven’t conceded many from set-plays since I’ve been at the club.”

That last game against Torquay proved to be Colin Walker’s final home match in charge with the visitors winning their seventh successive match, while the Minstermen were in the middle of a ten-game run without a victory.

On 85 minutes, Mark Greaves had levelled the scores following Roscoe D’Sane’s opening goal midway through the second period.

The Gulls, though, were a non-League nemesis for City during their two seasons in the Blue Square Bet Premier, only losing once in six contests and that 1-0 defeat counted for little as Walker’s men were knocked out on aggregate in the 2008 FA Trophy semi-finals.

Ingham continued remonstrating with referee Paul Curry down the players’ tunnel after the last game and admits such memories can provide added motivation for tomorrow’s contest.

He said: “It’s a long time since we last played but you always have scores to settle.

“We’ve settled a lot of the ones we had from the Conference and, when you feel you have been wronged, you want to put things right, because these things stick in your mind.”

 

How it was back then

City team (v Torquay on November 15, 2008): Ingham, Purkiss, Parslow, Kelly (Farrell), McGurk, Robinson, Greaves, Hogg (Russell), Rusk, Dyer (McBreen), Sodje.

Number one selling UK single at the time: Hero (X-Factor Finalists).

It also happened on this day: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for Manchester United in a 5-0 home victory over Stoke.