5 Things We Learned from York City's 2-1 home defeat to Alfreton

Jordan Burrow and Jake Wright have now started each of the opening three matches of the season up front in Martin Gray’s favoured 4-4-2 formation. But, during three hours and 15 minutes of football, the team are yet to score a goal when both summer signings are leading the line.

In contrast, during the one hour and 15 minutes that Jon Parkin and Macaulay Langstaff have been pitched in attack together from the bench, the Minstermen have netted each of their two goals this term. It could be argued that Burrow and Wright’s industry has helped tire opposition defences prior to the introduction of their fellow forwards, but work-rate still has to be allied with guile and, so far, the former pair have not really displayed any signs of intelligent interplay – too often ploughing their own lonely furrows. The starting claims of Parkin, regardless of his fitness levels and age, are always going to be difficult to ignore at sixth-tier level, because it is undeniable that the side look more likely to create chances and hit the back of the net with him spearheading the attack. Burrow wins his fair share of headers – possibly more than Parkin - but when the latter helps on an aerial ball his Championship nous often places it in a position that will help the team retain possession or threaten the opposition’s goal, as was evidenced with Langstaff’s 68th-minute riposte against Alfreton.

With 25 goals to his name last term despite suspension and injury curtailing his efforts during the second half of the season, Parkin’s potency is proven and, while Gray lamented his team’s penalty-box punch compared to that of Alfreton’s Tom Denton at the weekend, he arguably possesses National League North’s most dangerous 18-yard area player in his ranks. Like Denton, opposition defences are rarely pleased to see the Barnsley-born Behemoth’s name in the starting XI either.

Langstaff, while perhaps not as energetic as Burrow or Wright, has also shown greater craft, creating one and scoring the other of City’s two goals this season. Against Stockport, he provided Wes York with the match-winning tap-in after a low cross that eliminated the keeper following an excellent piece of play through the left channel.

On Saturday, meanwhile, he demonstrated brilliant anticipation and technique to collect Parkin’s headed knockdown, lose his marker and shoot confidently into the bottom corner from 15 yards. Both individually and collectively, there is a strong argument that City’s subs now deserve a chance from the kick-off.

2 City might want to consider a switch to Friday night football

Ever since the early 1960s, respective York City boards have experimented with the idea that a switch from 3pm Saturday starts to evening kick-offs might precipitate a rise in crowd numbers. With two of the smallest three attendances last season – against Southport and Gainsborough – recorded on a Tuesday night that theory might look outdated, especially with the midweek competition provided by televised Champions League matches.

But, judging by the measure of sadness and nostalgia that marked last week’s 1-0 win over Stockport as potentially the last floodlit first-team contest to be held at Bootham Crescent and the rousing atmosphere created within the 86-year-old stadium, City fans love a 7.45pm kick off and Friday evenings, when most people don’t have to get up for work the next day, present a different proposition than a “school night”. Regardless of gate figures, though, there is compelling statistical evidence that City perform better when the lights are on.

In four evening home matches, the Minstermen are yet to taste defeat at National League North level, winning two and drawing two whilst, in contrast, only two points from a possible 12 have been taken from their last quartet of 3pm kicks offs at Bootham Crescent. Taking a longer-term outlook during the last three-and-a-bit seasons, which will historically go down as the club’s poorest on-field period, the team have still managed to win ten, draw five and only lose five of their midweek matches in that time.

Even Jackie McNamara’s sorry reign included three victories and one draw from his five night-time home fixtures and an overall win rate of 50 per cent since the start of 2015/16 is significantly better than the Saturday afternoon return of 37 per cent for 19 triumphs, 17 draws and 16 losses.

3 Billy Heath’s methods might not be aesthetically pleasing but they are effective

Pre-match, City chief Gray warned of the troubles posed when facing a Heath team and that respect was merited. Heath’s record in National League North has few recent equals, having guided North Ferriby and Halifax to successive promotions in 2016 and 2017.

The first are little more than a village team who have since dropped down two divisions and the second were looking to complete the arduous task of bouncing back into the National League at the first time of asking. Heath’s methods are not pretty and, when results were more difficult to come by in the division above last season, Halifax supporters were quicker to turn on him than they might have been if the football played was more attractive and less attritional.

But, when you’re winning, few question the style of play as former Bootham Crescent chiefs Martin Foyle and Nigel Worthington could both testify. You have to be equipped to play the level you are at and City must prove this term that they can handle the division’s more robust teams better than they have done against both Chorley and Heath’s Alfreton during the opening eight days of the campaign.

4 The Minstermen continue to lack the consistency to secure back-to-back wins

A total of 19 games have now passed since City managed to defeat two consecutive opponents or 24, if you include pre-season, when a 7-1 defeat against Barnsley, even allowing for the quality of the newly-relegated Championship outfit, hinted that the side were still capable of letting their standards slip alarmingly. The last time City chief Gray did string together two wins on the spin, he went on to rack up five successive victories from Boxing Day to mid-January.

This squad of players must quickly demonstrate they can build up a similar head of steam to keep up pace with the league’s early frontrunners.

5 The Bootham Crescent faithful will not accept another Alfreton setback

Gray ended last season pilloried by certain sections of the City fanbase, but he praised the supporters for their backing against Alfreton. There were still a few boos, though, at half-time and the final whistle and the Minstermen chief rightly acknowledged that standards will need to be better if he is to keep the fans onside during this weekend’s home match with Curzon Ashton.