5 Things We Learned From York City's 2-0 defeat at Northampton Town

Marc Richards scored his first senior goal against the Minstermen 14-and-a-half years ago and, at 33, still retains a hunger to hit the target on a regular basis.

In a game of few chances, the ex-Port Vale and Chesterfield striker still managed three attempts at the visitors’ goal.

City survived two first-half headed efforts but, when a third opportunity came his way, he finished with immaculate composure during a period when the visitors were enjoying their best spell of the game.

In contrast, the Minstermen’s front two of Vadaine Oliver and Kenny McEvoy didn’t get a sniff of the home goal.

Richards, Cambridge’s Barry Corr and Jabo Ibehre, of Carlisle, are all among this season’s top-five League Two marksmen despite being the wrong, or maybe right, side of 30.

City, meanwhile, have not found space within their £1million wage budget for a proven lower-league goalscorer since winning promotion from the Conference.

From those that started at Sixfields, Michael Coulson had the most career goals to his name with 55.

Skipper Russell Penn was second on that list with 34 despite hitting the target just twice in 95 outings for the Minstermen. Keeper Scott Flinders’ solitary senior goal, meanwhile, placed him ahead of three of his outfield team-mates and level with one other.

Transfer window recruit Derek Riordan, who is six months younger than Richards, does have a past pedigree in front of goal, albeit a few years ago now and at a level of football far removed from the division his new club ply their trade in.

2 City could have taken better advantage of the gale-force conditions at Sixfields

With an abnormally-strong wind in their faces, the league leaders had real problems adjusting to the conditions during the opening exchanges with several clearances blowing straight back over home defenders’ heads.

Extreme conditions require extreme measures but City were slow to spot an opportunity to profit on the Cobblers’ uncertainty.

Rather than pressing the hosts by moving up the field in unison and camping in the opposition’s half, City allowed the hosts to acclimatise and even break out and create first-half chances, which eventually led to the 21st-minute opening goal.

Visiting strikers were on their heels far too often during the early exchanges and midfield trio Russell Penn, Luke Summerfield and Matty Dixon – all more comfortable sitting in front of defences - could have pushed into more advanced positions too.

3 James Berrett might offer City something different in midfield

The Minstermen’s engine room currently looks like it is carrying one sitting midfielder too many with Dixon, Summerfield and Penn all competing for space in front of the back four or being asked to operate in less-familiar positions.

Dixon, while tidy on the ball, must quickly prove he can exert an influence and pull strings from deeper positions in a manner that Summerfield has done effectively in the past.

Berrett’s ability to break forward from midfield also gave City an extra dimension even though the team were already down to ten men following his 72nd-minute introduction.

4 Loud crowds can influence weak referees in League Two

When Luke Hendrie slid in and felled Ricky Holmes inside the Northampton half, a yellow card seemed the obvious punishment. As vociferous home fans responded with an exaggerated sense of outrage, though, the fear that Salisbury's Brendan Malone might reach for his red grew.

He did and, given the position on the pitch and the fact that the challenge was not waist high or with brandished studs, it is hard to argue with City boss Jackie McNamara’s suggestion that he reacted to the supporters’ chagrin.

With four home games in their next five fixtures, noisy vocal support at Bootham Crescent might just tip the scales in City’s favour with the vital decisions that seem to have gone against them in recent outings.

5 The Ride 2 Northampton 2 cyclists were a real credit to the club

Overcoming monsoon-like weather and minor inconveniences along the way, such as a dislocated shoulder, the 20-plus City fans who completed their three-day, 180-mile bike ride from York to Sixfields deserved the applause they received from both sets of supporters.

Having arrived for the fixture by two wheels for a second successive year, thousands of pounds have now been raised for the British Heart Foundation in the memory of Cobblers supporter David Henderson, who passed away following the 2103/14 contest between the two clubs.

Given the two teams current respective league positions, though, the charitable bunch might just get a deserved rest next season!

Anybody still wanting to donate to the cause can do so online by visiting www.justgiving.com/ridetonorthampton2/