Parslow says York City need to set goal standard (From York Press)

Dan Parslow says York City need to set goal standard

11:00am Friday 14th September 2012 in Sport By Dave Flett, Sports reporter

LONG-SERVING York City utility man Dan Parslow has stressed the importance of goals from set-pieces four-and-a-half years on from heading in a corner against tomorrow’s hosts Exeter City.

That goal was the first by Parslow at Bootham Crescent and helped to seal a 3-2 victory that was screened live by Setanta Sports on a Monday night.

The game, the last to be played between the two sides, was sandwiched between the Minstermen’s two FA Trophy semi-final legs against Exeter’s Devon neighbours Torquay with Colin Walker’s team delivering the morale-boosting victory he had demanded after going down 2-0 to the Gulls three days earlier.

Parslow’s goal – City’s second on the night – came from a Martyn Woolford flag-kick and, speaking five seasons later, he admitted: “Set-pieces are a great way to score goals.

“As good a football team as we are now, it’s important to get the ugly goals as well because they come in handy. If you get them right, you can nick a header or score a direct free-kick and those goals are always worth their weight in gold.

“Defenders have to chip in so that the goals are shared around because that helps the team overall.

“In that game against Exeter, I just remember meeting the ball from a corner and it finished up in the roof of the net so it was a pleasing night for me.”

That header has not, however, led to an avalanche of goals from City’s former Wales under-21 international with Parslow’s career tally currently standing at four – the latest coming during last month’s 3-1 victory at Barnet.

On that statistic, he added: “I’ve not scored too many since so, hopefully, I can get a few more this season.”

City’s victory over Exeter back in March 2008 saw the hosts end a run of five-and-a-half hours without a goal by scoring three in 38 minutes.

Destined to win promotion in the play-off final, the Devon side were fifth at the time and unbeaten in ten matches but, in front of a paltry crowd of 1,567, Woolford opened the scoring before delivering the 41st-minute corner that Parslow headed in powerfully from six yards on 41 minutes.

Manny Panther then missed an open goal before Exeter reduced the deficit in first-half stoppage time through Steve Basham.

On 69 minutes, Onome Sodje claimed his 15th goal of the season, tapping in after Richard Brodie had miscued his shot from a Woolford cross, while Richard Logan grabbed a late consolation for the visitors.

Looking ahead to the latest meeting with Exeter, Parslow said: “Like Wycombe and Chesterfield, they are another team who were relegated last season and are expected to do well. They are a good side and Jamie Cureton is still banging in the goals for them.

“It’s a long old journey but we will go there and pass the ball as they do, so it should be a great game.

“On the road, we seem to express ourselves and we don’t fear anybody.

“It will just be a matter of going out and showing what we can do.”

 

How it was back then  

York City: Evans, Purkiss, Parslow, McGurk (Kelly), Robinson, Duncum (Elliott), Wroe, Panther (Rusk), Woolford, Brodie, Sodje.

Number one UK single at the time: Mercy (Duffy).

It also happened on March 10, 2008: Marathon legend Haile Gebrselassie rules himself out of the Beijing Olympics due to the health risks posed by the city’s air pollution levels.