League Two learning curve for ‘gutted’ York City boss Mills (From York Press)

League Two learning curve for ‘gutted’ York City boss Gary Mills

12:00pm Monday 7th January 2013 in Sport By Dave Flett , Sports reporter

YORK City manager Gary Mills admitted his team are still learning about npower League Two football after Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Exeter.

The Minstermen went behind following Alex Rodman’s spectacular own goal and, after levelling through Michael Potts, succumbed to Jimmy Keohane’s 54th-minute winning strike.

Mills, though, felt his team were unlucky to lose the game and added that there is still room for improvement.

“I was disappointed because I didn’t think we deserved to lose,” the City boss said. “I was gutted to go in 1-1 at half-time because we were superb in the first half.

“They pressed us a bit more in the second half and we possibly did not deal with that as well as we could have done but there is such a thin dividing line between picking up a result or not. We’re playing at a level where you need a bit of quality to kill off teams and win games.

“When you’re not switched on and make mistakes, you get punished as well and that’s happened to us quite a few times this season. But it’s our first year back in the League and we have to learn from every game and keep progressing.

“Exeter are another team that have beaten us but were they better than us? Everybody will have their opinions, but I was really pleased with my team’s performance and have been all season. Every team we have played know they’ve been in a tough match.”

Mills did not have a clear view when Rodman put though his own net but held Jamal Fyfield culpable for the second goal, going on to replace him with Lanre Oyebanjo.

The City chief added: “I was a bit blinded for the first goal so did not really see what happened but I was disappointed with Jamal for the second goal.

“It was a difficult ball from Scott Kerr, but he should not have let them in to score a goal from there.”

Rodman has now been recruited from Aldershot after the expiry of his loan spell from the Hampshire club, but Mills is still keen to strengthen his attacking options further during the transfer window.

“We’ve taken Alex Rodman until the end of the season,” Mills revealed. “We are in a situation where we will be without Ashley Chambers for four to six weeks and probably won’t see Michael Coulson again this season.

“Oli Johnson will be back in training and has got to start giving us something now because he’s given us nothing yet due to being injured.

“John McReady will also play in a game tomorrow night but I need to bring in another wide striker because we are short in that area at the moment.” Tomorrow’s game is a North Riding Senior Cup quarter-final clash with Northallerton Town at Bootham Crescent (7.45pm kick off).

Teenager Tom Allan, meanwhile, was given a third senior outing as a substitute – this time operating as a left-back rather than in the centre of defence, where Mills believes his long-tem future lies.

“Tom’s a big lad who’s got good feet and, while centre-half will be his main position, he will get the chance to play at left-back when needed as well,” Mills explained.