ON-LOAN defender Kyle Cameron reckons he can be a regular threat from set-pieces but also revealed that York City spend no time practicing them.

The Scotland under-19 international scored his first senior goal when he headed in Luke Summerfield’s corner for the Minstermen’s equaliser during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Hartlepool.

But Cameron’s 45th-minute effort represented the first time City have scored from a flag kick during Jackie McNamara’s five-and-a-half month reign and, when asked how often the squad run through dead-ball drills, the Newcastle teenager said: “We don’t really work on them.”

On carving out a possible reputation as a penalty-box threat, though, Cameron added: “I think I can get more goals from corners.

“I’ve just got to get that experience of learning where to be in the box and what sort of runs to make. Sometimes, I catch myself getting underneath the ball rather than holding my run, but I delayed it at Hartlepool and managed to pick the ball out and put it in the back of the net.”

Despite getting on the scoresheet for the first time as a professional, Cameron went on to admit that landmark was completely overshadowed by the eventual defeat and its repercussions in terms of the club’s now virtually non-existent survival hopes.

“It was good to score and I enjoyed it but, at the end of the day, the result was disappointing and put a downer on that, because it was devastating to get beaten again,” he confessed.

With the team 11 points adrift of a place outside the relegation zone with four games left to play ahead of this evening’s home match with promotion-hopefuls Portsmouth, Cameron still insisted that there must be no let-up in the team’s efforts.

“Portsmouth will be another tough game, like they all are every single week,” he pointed out. “They have something to play for and we’ve got to put everything into the next four games and see where that puts us at the end of the season.

“It’s not really about avoiding relegation at home or away – we’ve just got to keep pushing and believing anything can happen, until it’s mathematically impossible.”

Cameron, 19, is expected to line up in the centre of defence again having started at left back prior to Dave Winfield’s first-half dismissal for two bookable offences at Hartlepool – a decision he felt was severe.

“I thought it was a little bit harsh,” he argued. “He only made two tackles in the game and got booked for both of them.

“I felt he got a touch on the ball for the second one, but the referee didn’t see it. I think, at the most, he should have given Dave a warning, so it was a bit unfair, but there was nothing we could do about it and, whilst it was hard going down to ten men, it wasn’t as much for the back four, but mostly for the midfield.

“They were running around like dogs in there and put in 110 per cent. We couldn’t have asked for more from them, but the red card made it hard for ourselves again.”

While nothing will compensate for the disappointment of the side’s struggles since his January switch from St James Park, Cameron has also been grateful to City for his first chance of senior exposure.

“It’s given me a lot of experience and players like Dave (Winfield), Scot (Bennett) and Femi (Ilesanmi) have helped me week in, week out,” he explained. "I’m happy with how I’ve done since being here, but wanted the results to match.”