YORK City striker Ryan Bowman has vowed not to dive into any more challenges as he returns from his second suspension of the season.

Bowman will be available again for the Boxing Day clash at Accrington Stanley having missed seven matches due to being sent off twice already in 2013/14.

His second dismissal at Southend came when he caught right-back John White late and the 22-year-old frontman is determined not to repeat that misdemeanour again this term.

He said: “I’ve just got to think about things and not go lunging into tackles.

“I only usually get one or two yellow cards a season and had never had a red one so, to have two in the space of three months, has been a big shock to me.

“I just need to be really careful from now on.”

Bowman’s latest four-match ban has seen him ruled out for more than a month due to a blank weekend caused by City’s first-round FA Cup exit.

On that long absence, the ex-Hereford marksman added: “It feels like it’s been months and months. The first sending off was bad enough.

“Then, I scored some goals after getting back in the team only to get sent off again.

“There’s nothing worse than being suspended and it’s been so frustrating, so I’m glad to be back.”

Despite his enforced lay-off, Bowman remains the last City player to get his name on the scoresheet, with a Shane Cansdell-Sherriff own goal representing the only reward for Nigel Worthington’s men in more than six hours of football.

“It does make you think a little bit,” Bowman said about watching the side’s struggle for goals from the stands.

“But the team have done well – they have just lacked goals.

“The back four have kept three clean sheets in four games and, while we’ve not been scoring, everybody has been doing really well and, hopefully, I can get back in the team as quickly as possible.”

Bowman also believes he can still achieve the goal target he set himself following his summer arrival from Edgar Street, claiming: “I know, if I can get a good run in the team, I can score goals.

“I proved that last season and, in my last five games, I have scored four goals. My target at the start of the season was 15 goals and that’s still definitely realistic.

“This time last season I had nine goals and got 19, so I’m not far away from that.”

On his hopes for the team as the season approaches its mid-way point, Bowman added: “If we are being realistic, getting in the top half of the table would be a good season.”


Match facts

YORK City have made 25 previous Football League visits to Accrington.

Betwen 1929 and 1961, they won three and drew three of the 24 meetings.

The victories were 2-1 in 1937/38, 2-1 in 1946/47 and 3-1 in 1955/56.

Last term on their first League trip for over 50 years they won 1-0 with Jason Walker on the scoresheet.

The line up on October 23, 2012, was: Ingham, Parslow, C Smith, Carlisle, Fyfield, Kerr, Kearns (J Smith), Blair, Coulson (McLaughlin), Walker, Chambers.

City made two Conference trips drawing once and losing once.

Tom Lockie, Syd Storey, Alex Hamilton, Ian Blackstone, Rory Prendergast and Paul Crichton are among the players who have represented both clubs.

It happened on Boxing Day

1934: A 5-2 defeat at Accrington Stanley in Division Three North. Maurice Dando and George Bowater were the scorers. On Christmas Day City had beaten Stanley 5-2 at Bootham Crescent.

1946: Left winger George Lee made his last senior appearance for the club in a 1-1 home daw against Southport. Jack Pinder scored from the penalty spot watched by 10,470.

1952: Steve Griffiths (pen) and Billy Fenton were the marksmen in a 2-0 home win over Tranmere Rovers. City were third in the Northern Section and the attendance was 11,380.

1961: John Stainsby scored both goals in a 2-1 Fourth Division victory at Doncaster.

1964: A 7-1 home win over Chesterfield with goals from Paul Aimson and Andy Provan who each bagged a brace, Derek Weddle, Billy Rudd and Norman Wilkinson. City were in the top four of the Fourth Division and the crowd numbered 6,216.

1974: City lost 2-0 at Sunderland in the Second Division (Championship) in front of 35,367 at Roker Park.

1983: Fourth Division leaders City won 2-1 at Halifax with Keith Walwyn netting twice. Alan Little, later to manage City, scored for Town and was sent off late in the game.

1992: In a top of the table Third Division (League Two) encounter, City came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at Cardiff with goals from Ian Blackstone (2) and Paul Barnes. The crowd at Ninian Park was 10,411.

1994: Paul Barnes hit a hat-trick in a 4-0 home win over Blackpool in the Second Division (League One).

Compiled by David Batters