JAKE HYDE has admitted he is desperate to avoid having an unwanted York City club record on his CV.

The current team are just two games short of a place in the Bootham Crescent history books, having gone a dozen home matches without a victory.

City's 1981/82 side endured the longest-ever run with 14 win-less fixtures on their own soil and, ahead of Saturday's home match with AFC Wimbledon, top scorer Hyde has no intention of emulating that sorry sequence.

He said: "We are all aware of the record and we don't want to equal it - absolutely not. It's been a strange run and I don't know why that's the case.

"It just seems to have worked out that way, but we are hungry for that home win and know it means a lot to everyone who comes to games. We owe the fans and the club and we are looking forward to the chance to put that right."

Hyde also believes this weekend's contest will offer City a chance to gain revenge for the Dons dumping him and his team-mates out of this season's FA Cup.

The sides drew 1-1 at Bootham Crescent after Hyde had opened the scoring on eight minutes.

Wes Fletcher also struck first during the replay but three home goals in the final 20 minutes saw Russ Wilcox's men bow out.

Wimbledon have since gone on to land a plum third round home clash against Liverpool, having overcome Wycombe in their next tie and Hyde confessed: "It was gutting seeing them go on and draw a big club but that's the way it's worked out for us.

"We were unlucky to go out but we can only do what we can in next season's competition now. We have to focus on the league.

"Our position is not what we want but our last few results have been very promising. We know we are improving and know we have more than enough at the club to climb the table and then see where that takes us, so we are looking forward to doing that now.

"We know enough about Wimbledon now after playing them twice in the last month. We know what they will bring and know what we have to do to win.

"We were very unlucky not to beat them at home because I felt we played very well in that game, so we can take confidence from that."

While Wimbledon were winning at Wycombe over the weekend, City's players met up for a festive bonding session, including a team meal.

The excitement of drawing Liverpool has also been a distraction at Kingsmeadow with Hyde reasoning that fourth-bottom City's enforced lay-off, caused by their Cup exit, could prove beneficial this weekend.

"We will have had two weeks to prepare for this game and are all looking forward to it," he explained. "At this point, with the games that will be coming up, I welcomed a bit of a rest.

"It's good to let your body recover a bit before the Christmas period, which is always busy."

Since City last played, Hyde has attended a tribunal, which set his transfer fee from Barnet at £25,000, rising to £40,000 once he has played 45 games for the club.

The 24-year-old forward declared the verdict as "successful" and added: "It was a long day.

"We had to go to Wembley and I had to stand up in front of a board that had been chosen. They quizzed me on my influences in football and how Barnet did this and that.

"Both clubs then put their points forward before we waited for the big decision. I think it was a successful day and everyone here was happy with the outcome.

"Now, I can put that all behind me and focus on York City."

Hyde's stoppage-time equaliser at Plymouth in City's last outing saw him nudge ahead of Fletcher and Keith Lowe at the top of the club's scoring chart on five goals.

It is a position he would like to hold on to until the end of the season, but the former Swindon trainee is placing greater significance on improving results for the team.

"When you are a centre-forward, you get a hunger for scoring goals and it's a lovely feeling," he pointed out. "Every centre-forward wants to be the top scorer and it's nice to be up there.

"If you ask me and Wes, we will both want to finish the season there, but it's not all about that for me and it's not massively important. We have got enough scorers in the team.

"We have brought in Diego (De Girolamo) and Wes is another scorer, but climbing the table together as a team is more of a priority. It would not bother me who the leading scorer is as long as we are winning games, as we are all here just to help the team."

Hyde does not bear a grudge towards free-scoring centre-back Lowe and his muscling in on strikers' territory either, saying: "Keith has done really well from set-pieces so, hopefully, he can chip in with a few more and help us all."

De Girolamo's introduction at Plymouth meant Hyde finished the last 20 minutes on the right wing.

He would not protest against repeating that switch but argued he is most dangerous from central areas.

"I will play anywhere I'm asked to but, obviously, I prefer playing down the middle," he explained. "I think that's my best position.

"That's where I will score most of my goals. I've always been branded a box centre-forward so I know, if I'm in there, I will score goals but, if the gaffer asks me to do a job for the last 20 minutes of a game, I am more than happy to do that.

"It's a team game and you need players to be versatile."