5 Things We Learned from York City's 2-2 draw with Spennymoor

With Hamza Bencherif having now gone 50 games without opening his account for the Minstermen and Dan Parslow netted just six times in 366 appearances for the club, 23-year-old Burn’s emergence as a set-piece threat from centre back has become a welcome addition to the side’s attacking armoury. His 11th-minute opener against Spennymoor was his second in as many contests and third in nine outings for the club – two from free kicks one from a corner - having only taken seven matches to claim his first professional goal during a 1-1 League One draw at Doncaster when he was on loan at Oldham in 2015.

Burn’s last two efforts have even suggested a striker’s instinct, as he reacted first in the second phase after dead-ball deliveries, being in the right position to follow-up after Josh Law’s free kick had hit both posts at Telford, before pouncing again when Simon Heslop’s corner ricocheted off a Spennymoor defender. With his current haul, Burn is already City’s highest-scoring centre-half in a single season since Keith Lowe contributed six goals in 2014/15 and, with manager Martin Gray keen to find alternative goal sources to the talismanic Jon Parkin, the Darlington-born defender is definitely doing his bit.

2 The quality of Simon Heslop’s corners has provided a new set-play threat

Left-wing corners from York City’s former captain have now been responsible for three goals during the one-and-a-half games he has played since being recalled to the team. Heslop’s unerring accuracy with the inswinging deliveries from that side of the pitch troubled Spennymoor in the same manner that they unsettled Telford during the early stages of last week’s 5-3 triumph.

Heslop is providing a level of reliability at flag kicks that has not always been witnessed at Bootham Crescent or, indeed, at National League North level this term, but it is a skill that should not be beyond professional players with regular practice. Skipper Sean Newton has been the target for the goals served up by Heslop, netting twice at Telford before lurking with intent at the back post as Glen Taylor failed to clear the danger decisively on Saturday.

There is more than enough height in the side, though, if the Minstermen want to keep opposition defences guessing by varying their dead-ball routines.

3 Raul Correia’s honest endeavour is pressurising opposition into important errors

The on-loan Blackpool forward’s willingness to chase apparent lost causes reaped its rewards once more against Spennymoor. Charging after a ball that looked destined to run out of play, Correia forced away keeper Jordan Porter into a sliding intervention that saw him carry the ball over the goal-line and led to City’s first goal.

The Portuguese forward also opened his Minstermen account at Telford when he was rewarded with an unguarded net to find after closing down a goalkeeping clearance. Correia showed smart movement, meanwhile, to spring Spennymoor’s offside trap and race on to Aidan Connolly’s through ball, before being denied by an excellent covering block from visiting captain Chris Mason.

That piece of play illustrated that there is thought behind Correia’s mobility, along with an eagerness to force mistakes and the portents for a compatible, orthodox two-man partnership with Parkin look good.

4 Brilliant Adam Bartlett saves could prove crucial in play-off reckoning

The former Darlington keeper seems to be averaging one extraordinary save per game in recent times and the manner in which he clawed away Mark Anderson’s late free kick, as it seemed destined for the top corner, was of huge significance. Had the shot beaten him, as it might have done most goalkeepers, the fourth-placed Minstermen would now be two points behind Saturday’s visitors having played two games more.

There is an argument that Bartlett should not have to bail his team-mates out so regularly and his naming as man-of-the-match during the 5-3 victory at Telford was slightly alarming, but the importance of his impressive reflexes could be evident come the season’s final analysis in May.

5 City must tighten up defensively on flanks against 4-4-2 outfits

Fictional England manager Mike Bassett’s favourite formation might not be fashionable anymore in the higher echelons of the English game or, indeed, on the international stage, but attacking down the flanks with out-and-out wingers is not yet an outdated philosophy in this country’s sixth tier. While not strictly employing a 4-4-2 system, as Mark Anderson was tucked in behind targetman Glen Taylor, Spennymoor did look to penetrate from out wide as often as possible through the likes of goalscorer Ryan Hall and David Foley.

The latter – a known Spennymoor dangerman – saw his effectiveness blunted by a reducer from City debutant Connor Brown that resulted in him eventually being withdrawn on the stroke of half-time, but Hall caused left-back David Ferguson some consternation with his direct running. Gray has expressed his concern in the past about the side’s full-back positions, recruiting Brown after being unhappy with the defensive efforts of Law and Daniel Rowe on the right.

But City also need to improve their shape out of possession. For Hall’s opening goal, which deflected in off Ferguson, the exposed former Championship campaigner had three away players charging at him after possession was surrendered close to the halfway line from a home throw-in.

At the death, meanwhile, the Minstermen found themselves again outnumbered two-against-four at the back on the counter attack and, due to a lack of organisation, could have easily suffered an ill-deserved defeat.