Ashley Chambers on his toes as Matty Blair waits for place (From York Press)

Ashley Chambers on his toes as Matty Blair waits for York City place

12:00pm Wednesday 29th August 2012 in Sport By Dave Flett, Sports reporter

THE presence of last season’s top scorer Matty Blair on the bench is getting the best out of York City’s strikers, according to Ashley Chambers .

Former Leicester forward Chambers has netted in each of the Minstermen’s last two games – the 2-2 draw at Morecambe and Saturday’s 3-1 triumph against Barnet – but knows that he cannot let his standards slip with 2011/12’s 20-goal leading marksman waiting in the wings.

Blair has started as a substitute in all four of City’s opening fixtures this term after missing the latter part of pre-season due to injury with manager Gary Mills fielding Chambers alongside Jason Walker and Michael Coulson in his favoured 4-3-3 formation.

Like Chambers, Coulson has also got on the scoresheet twice and Walker once, with the ex-England under-19 international adding: “It just shows the squad’s strength in depth when last season’s top scorer is on the bench and it’s always a reminder when you see him on there.

“You know that if you are not playing well, you will have to step up, otherwise you’ll have to take a seat on the bench and he will be on the pitch. It definitely keeps you on your toes.”

Saturday’s triumph at Barnet represented the first time City have scored more than two goals during a match for 19 competitive fixtures, stretching back to the memorable 3-2 win at Grimsby in mid-March.

It was also the Minstermen’s first victory back in the Football League with Chambers adding: “It felt good to get the points on the board and that first win.

“We capitalised on the draw we got at Morecambe and stamped our authority at a tough place to go like Barnet. It maybe wasn’t our best performance football-wise but it was probably the most solid we have been this season.

“We let in a sloppy goal when their guy ran a long way before putting the cross in but to get three goals was obviously good because we’ve been struggling of late.”

Chambers took nine matches to find the target last term before finishing on double figures.

On his possible targets for 2012/13, the 22-year-old said: “It’s always nice to chip in with goals, of course it is, especially in my position as a sort of half-winger, half-striker, but the most important thing is that the team wins games.

“I got ten last season and it would be good to do the same or maybe do better, get one more and kick on. I’m always looking to better myself and I’ve had a good start so, hopefully, I can do better than last season.”

On first impressions, Chambers also believes the style of football preferred by most League Two outfits should benefit the Minstermen, saying: “A lot more teams want to play football, whereas you don’t get that many in the Conference.

“All three teams we have played in League Two, so far, have tried to pass the ball, which suits us better.”

• York City kingpin Dan Parslow was named in the Football League team of the week after his scoring display at Barnet.