YORK City boss Gary Mills hailed the impact of on-loan strikers Jon Parkin and Rhys Murphy after they both got on the scoresheet during a 3-1 FA Trophy triumph over Worcester.

Parkin netted on 14 minutes after Murphy had helped force Graham Hutchison into an early own goal.

Away sub Junior English then reduced the deficit for the Midland part-timers, but Murphy settled the tie with an 87th-minute penalty after he had been scythed down by Tom Sharpe.

Singing the pair’s praises, City chief Mills said: “They both want to score and create goals and understand the game in terms of knowing how to take up a position when they’re 50 yards away from the ball to receive it and hold it up. They’re both massive for us.

“We’ve got Jon for the rest of the season and Rhys until January, but I hope he does well, scores goals and wants to stay. Rhys took painkillers to play because of his bruised ribs and he’ll be pleased he did, because he’s got on the scoresheet and worked hard.

“Jon’s goal showed he knows where the goalposts are and that they don’t move. He just got his head down and hit the target.

“That’s how you finish and that’s the difference from what we’ve been seeing before. As an experienced player, he gives himself the best opportunity of scoring and, if the keeper saves it, he will knock in the rebound or settle for a corner.

“Aside from that, he was immense in both boxes, because he made two or three crucial defensive headers too and it’s great to have him. He gives us lots of options.”

Mills still believes there is room for improvement in other aspects of his team’s game, though, expressing his disappointment at English’s goal.

But he has now challenged his players to string together the club’s first successive victories since February.

“We dominated the game in the first half, but it got a bit stretched in the second and a little nerve-wracking after they got their goal,” the Bootham Crescent boss admitted. “We dropped a bit too deep as a back three rather than stepping up higher and there was too big a gap between the defence and midfield.

“It invited them on to us after they went three up top and played into their hands. These things happen in the desperation to win a game and you could feel that around the ground as well, which is understandable.

“Their goal was another poor one – we didn’t stop the cross coming into our box again and their scorer had a free header inside our six-yard box. That put us on the back foot for a period and the penalty was certainly a relief when it went in but, hopefully, the fans can see a light at the end of the tunnel now.

“We’ve still got to improve because it could quite easily have gone differently, but winning games and playing better builds confidence. Hopefully, we can now get back-to-back victories, because that hasn’t happened in quite a while.”

Aarran Racine, meanwhile, was given his debut on the right side of City’s back three following his loan move from Forest Green and Mills added: “Aarran did OK.

“He came and won his headers and will be glad of the game as he needed the 90 minutes. We’ve got a lot of experience back there now with him, Yan Klukowski and Matt Fry and we’re looking at them to organise and talk.”

Mills also explained that the knock that saw Danny Holmes substituted in the second half should not prevent him playing in next weekend’s home match with Torquay.

Skipper Simon Heslop should also be available, having missed the match to be at hospital with his pregnant partner after her waters broke.