ANTHONY STRAKER will be out to relieve himself of four months' pent-up frustration when York City travel to Burton Albion tomorrow.

The 25-year-old winger was a member of the Southend side that lost to Burton in last season's League Two play-off semi-finals.

Straker scored in the second leg at Roots Hall to bring the aggregate scores level at 2-2 but he was substituted after the Brewers nudged ahead again and went on to seal a 3-2 aggregate win.

That proved Straker's last contribution in a Shrimpers' shirt prior to his Bootham Crescent move this summer and saw him miss out on a Wembley final at the final hurdle for a third time in his career, following on from play-off and FA Trophy disappointment with former club Aldershot.

Commenting on his helplessness after being replaced on 72 minutes in that crucial May contest, Straker said: "It was a very frustrating situation but it's part of the game.

"You have to change things to try and get a result but I got myself on the scoresheet and, hopefully, I can do so again tomorrow. We lost against them and they went on and lost themselves, so you do think you have missed out on something.

"Some would say they were worthy winners, others would say they weren't but, at the end of the day, it's only the final result that counts and we had to hold our hands up and accept we were beaten. I'm an Ealing boy, so Wembley's only down the road from where I'm from.

"I did manage to get there in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final with Southend, but I've missed out on a few other opportunities and you just have to keep your head up and go again."

A 1-0 opening-leg defeat in Staffordshire proved decisive during an evenly-contested play-off tie and was the first in a sequence that has seen current SkyBet League Two leaders Burton win their last six home matches.

On the challenge facing his new club at the Pirelli Stadium, Straker added: "They are on a good run and are a good team but, hopefully, we can pit ourselves against them and do well.

"They are like ourselves. They work very hard and there are no rewards if you don't do that.

"They get their heads down and graft and that's serving them well at the minute. They normally do quite well in front of their home fans but, hopefully, we can put in a performance and see how it goes."

Straker also believes that last season's three unsuccessful play-off qualifiers - Burton, his old club Southend and current employers City - are well-placed to feature in this term's promotion shake-up.

"All three clubs have got good squads and will be fighting it out again," he reasoned. "Everybody is up for the battle here to see what the outcome will be."

Following a promising start to his City career that saw him share The Press' Player of the Month prize for August with Michael Coulson, Straker has been replaced midway through the second half in the last three fixtures but has no complaints about being denied full outings, saying: "You go out there and give your all because that's all the manager asks for.

"He then makes changes to keep the team going. I'm here to give everything I've got and, as long as I do that, he will be happy with me.

"The boys and staff have made the club a welcoming place to come and work and I can't fault anything."

Straker also reckons that City can now hit the target on a more regular basis after scoring more than two goals in a game for the first time in 24 fixtures during last weekend's 3-2 success at Stevenage.

"We've been creating a lot of opportunities and we got three goals on Saturday," he pointed out. "Hopefully, that will open the floodgates so we can get a few more."