10:31am Friday 3rd September 2010
By Steve Carroll
JONATHAN Smith insists only three points against Rushden & Diamonds can start to make up for York City’s disappointing 2-1 defeat against Fleetwood Town.
The midfielder, a summer signing from Forest Green Rovers, was part of the Minstermen starting line-up which struggled against the Blue Square Bet Premier new boys.
Smith, who has been in and out of manager Martin Foyle’s 11 so far, said he was hugely disappointed with the loss – which leaves York with just one win from their opening six games – and declared there had to be a much improved performance at Bootham Crescent tomorrow.
“It has got to be. It has to be three points,” he said. “I am obviously disappointed. I thought I worked hard but, at the end of the day, if I am in the team I want to win games.
“To be honest, Fleetwood looked a lot sharper than us and I don’t know why that was.
“We are all disappointed and the gaffer has let us know. He has told us it isn’t good enough and we all know.
“We are all working hard in training. The gaffer wants us to play a certain way and we were trying to put that into play but, before Monday, we thought we had been making progress and doing well.”
The 23-year-old revealed he has been putting in hard work during training to ensure he remains part of Foyle’s plans and believes City still have the players to make a run for league success.
FORMER York City striker Craig Farrell is one of a host of Rushden & Diamonds players ruled out with injury ahead of their trip to Bootham Crescent tomorrow.
The ex-Minstermen goal-getter has a groin problem and he will be joined on the sidelines by defender Justin Miller, who is serving a one-match ban after being sent off against Kettering.
Manager Justin Edinburgh has watched his side pick up ten points from their opening six matches with Kettering beaten 1-0 on Bank Holiday Monday and Grimsby dispatched 4-1 at Nene Park a week ago.
Rushden (probable): Roberts, Porter, Asano, Stuart, Robinson, Johnson, Power, Spence, Green, Howe, Charles.
Rushden have made six previous League visits and honours are even with two wins to each club and two draws.
The first meeting at Bootham Crescent was on the opening day of the 2001/2 campaign when Diamonds won here 1-0 on their Football League debut. The following season the game ended goal-less.
The other four games at York have been in the Conference. In 2006/7 City won 3-1 with Clayton Donaldson (2) and Steve Bowey on the scoresheet.
The next season the visitors won 3-2 with Michael Rankine one of their scorers. Craig Farrell, later to join Diamonds in an exchange deal with Rankine, netted along with Paul Robinson in a 2-0 City win in 2008/9 and the corresponding fixture last term finished 0-0. The line-up for this encounter on August 11, 2009, was: Ingham, Purkiss, McGurk, Parslow, Meredith, Lawless (Smith), Mackin, Barrett, Ferrell (Nelthorpe), Brodie, Rankine (Gash).
Along with Farrell and Rankine other players to have represented both clubs include Ray Warburton and Chris Beardsley.
It happened on September 4
1929: City’s first ever home game in the Football League against Wrexham ended goal-less. The crowd at Fulfordgate was 8,726.
1950: A 3-0 win over Accrington Stanley watched by 7,417 with Matt Patrick (2) and John Linaker goals.
1961: City went to the top of Division Four following a 2-1 home victory over Exeter City. The attendance was 9,334 and the scorers were Peter Wragg and Barry Pierce.
1965: Eamon Dunphy was the scorer in a 1-0 win at Brentford in Division Three (League One) .The crowd at Griffin Park was 10,457.
1984: Doncaster Rovers were beaten 5-0 at Bootham Crescent in a first round, second leg Football League Cup tie. The scorers were John MacPhail (2), John Byrne, Keith Houchen and Gary Ford and City won 8-2 on aggregate. The attendance was 5,554.
2004: City recorded their first away victory in Conference football when they won 3-0 at Dagenham & Redbridge with Darren Dunning (2) and Paul Groves on the scoresheet.
Compiled by David Batters
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