UNDERFIRE York City boss Russ Wilcox has pleaded for patience after a section of Bootham Crescent supporters called for his dismissal during a second successive home game.

Fans in the David Longhurst Stand started chants of “You’re Getting Sacked in the Morning” and “Wilcox Out” after the team threw away a 2-0 lead to share the spoils with Cambridge.

Second-half goals from returning pair Michael Coulson and John McCombe had put the Minstermen in the ascendancy but Mark Roberts reduced the deficit before Barry Corr pounced for an 81st-minute equaliser, prompting unrest on the terraces despite Wilcox’s pre-match request for any negativity to be voiced after the final whistle.

City’s collapse coincided with Coulson’s 65th-minute withdrawal – a decision necessitated by the lack of match time for the attacker, who was making his first appearance of the season following a groin operation.

Pointing out that he was also without injured pair Luke Summerfield and Jake Hyde, as well as suspended duo Dave Winfield and Vadaine Oliver, Wilcox asked to be judged when the absentee list has shortened.

He said: “The negativity doesn’t help anybody. The players got edgy on the pitch and, sometimes, fans have to be patient and appreciate we have got key players out.

“Everybody will have seen how much we have missed Michael Coulson because he was outstanding and every team has little spells they go through. Cambridge have only won one game in nine, like us, but they’re not shouting from the rooftops.

“Hopefully, though, I will be judged when I’ve got my full squad available. We have had quality players out and I believe we will see a difference when we get a few back.

“Jake Hyde was last season’s top scorer but he hasn’t had the chance to play up front with Vadaine Oliver yet. We’re in League Two and not the Championship and you can’t always replace quality for quality when you lose your key players who are so important at this level.

“But Jake is getting closer and we will have two lads coming back from suspension on Tuesday night (at home to Doncaster in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy).”

Enthusing about Coulson’s display and, explaining the thinking behind his replacement by 17-year-old midfielder Ben Godfrey, Wilcox added: “Michael brought that bit of quality he possesses back into the group.

“Along with Michael Collins coming into the midfield, I thought he helped us retain possession better and it was a very good finish for his goal. He’s a key player for us and, whilst he wasn’t really ready and I think he was flabbergasted when I told him he was starting the day before, he was really up for it and excited when he’d had time to think about it .

“There’s no better feeling for a footballer to be out there on a Saturday afternoon and no worse feeling than being injured. We gambled on him and I’m really glad we did because it paid off.

“His substitution was probably the game’s turning point but the bigger picture is he has had a long spell out and we have to be careful with him. We knew he wouldn’t get through 90 minutes.

“It was an enforced change and he played ten or 15 minutes longer than I wanted him too. Ben Godfrey came on to give us a bit more height to deal with their set-plays and I wanted James Berrett to push into the Michael Coulson role but they forced us back and, sometimes when that happens, it’s hard to stop and it’s very easy for people to criticise when you make changes and things don’t go your way.”

While refusing to shy away from the fact that his team should not have surrendered their second-half advantage, Wilcox also reasoned that the performance, prior to Cambridge’s comeback, offered reasons for encouragement.

“We were outstanding for the first hour,” the City chief declared. “We had to be patient on the ball because Cambridge are a big side so we didn’t want to go back to front and put the ball on their centre-halves’ heads.

“But, having been 2-0 up, the last half-hour was disappointing. We spoke about long throws and set-plays because they’re a huge team but that’s where their goals came from.

“Maybe, there was also a little bit of fear in our players because we dropped too deep. I didn’t want to and was trying to squeeze the lads up but we allowed Cambridge to have waves of attacks and needed to be stronger.

“They had nothing to lose - the shackles came off and they pushed people further forward. Rhys Turner also had a fantastic opportunity at 2-0 and the third goal is always a key one in that situation.

“I would take being 2-0 up in every home game though and we had a good chat afterwards about seeing games out, which is often the difference between the top end and bottom end of the table. Wycombe did that to beat Cambridge 1-0 in midweek but we kept giving the ball away and that gave them a lift.

“Maybe some players ran out of gas too. Anthony Straker, Michael Coulson, Michael Collins and John McCombe were all making their first starts of the season but we couldn’t make four substitutes.”

McCombe was recalled to the team in place of the banned Winfield and Wilcox argued that he was not surprised by the quality of the centre-back’s 54th-minute, edge-of-the-box strike, declaring: “John can do that.

“He started out as a centre forward when he was a young kid at Huddersfield and, during the finishing drills we do in training, he is one of the best we’ve got. He’s a very calm finisher and, when the chance came, he didn’t panic and sidefooted it into the bottom corner.

“I thought he also performed well after getting his opportunity.”