1 Jon Parkin’s first-time finishes are the hallmark of an accomplished marksman

The former Stoke and Hull striker has taken just one touch to score each of his four goals in City’s last three matches. One glance of his head and three swings of his boot have proven the difference between his team taking four points from the last two league matches instead of one and securing an FA Trophy semi-final spot, rather than travelling to Brackley for a midweek replay.

When the ball is there to be struck in the penalty box, players of Parkin’s Championship pedigree do not require the assurance of an extra touch and he snaffled up both of his early goals against Eastleigh with typically clinical efficiency. Just a fortnight ago, the 6ft 4in talisman was being denied on a regular basis by the frame of the goal, but such poor fortune was always going to turn and he is now hitting the back of the net with equal frequency.

Having been serenaded by chants of “Feed the Beast and he will Score” at previous clubs, meanwhile, City supporters were more reverential in their chosen song of praise at the weekend, belting out “Jon Parkin, My Lord, Jon Parkin” to the tune of “Kumbaya.”

York Press: 2 The 35-year-old campaigner is deadlier in the early stages of matches

Parkin’s quickfire brace means five of his seven goals for the Minstermen have come before the quarter-hour mark in matches. His other two, meanwhile, were scored on 29 and 36 minutes and the Barnsley-born veteran has looked more dangerous during first halves.

That trend is also born out over the course of the season with his latest goal of four for previous club Newport – and only one in the second period – clocked at 50 minutes. While Parkin’s finishing is age-less, unfortunately his legs won’t be and that is something City boss Gary Mills will consider when he is pondering second-half substitutions as he looks to get the best out of his master marksman with fixtures coming thick and fast during the crucial run-in.

York Press: 3 City can maintain their tempo after half-time

If Parkin is tiring during second periods, though, at least the indefatigable Vadaine Oliver and Amari Morgan-Smith can compensate either side of him. The pair’s enthusiasm was one of the chief reasons why City did not suffer the post-interval lull that had characterised their previous four matches.

Allied with willing runs down the flanks by wing-backs Simon Heslop and Alex Whittle, Oliver and Morgan-Smith’s efforts helped to keep the team driving forward, instead of the recent tendency to drop further back.

York Press: 4 Vadaine Oliver has taken massive steps on the road to redemption

Being the most disliked player in one of the sorriest squads in York City’s history, it was anticipated that Oliver would not wear the club’s colours again when he joined Notts County on loan in the summer. After all, away fans had booed the 6ft 2in striker during the final Football League fixture of the relegated Minstermen’s season.

There was perhaps a little trepidation on both sides, therefore, when Oliver returned to the club in January, but he has not played one bad game during his nine subsequent outings and his performances have demanded a first XI place to the extent that City chief Mills has switched to a 3-4-3 formation to accommodate him. Oliver’s endeavour marked him out as a clear man of the match against Eastleigh and was also rewarded with two assists and a goal.

If you are, as we’re always being told, only as good as your last game, then Oliver has been good for a couple of months now and memories of his performances during the second half of 2015/16 can be forgiven and forgotten if he is able to play a major part in rescuing the club from relegation this time around.

York Press: 5 Once Yan Klukowski is fit again Gary Mills has healthy selection dilemmas

Klukoswki’s absence at the heart of City’s back three was keenly felt initially and that probably contributed to the recurrence of his calf problem just 15 minutes after he was rushed back into the team, having missed a couple of matches. In the last two games, though, when Hamza Bencherif has been employed as the middle man, he has responded well to the physical challenges presented by the likes of Lincoln’s Matt Rhead and Eastleigh pair James Constable and Craig McAllister.

Klukowski is definitely more comfortable on the ball as a former midfielder and capable of playing out from the back, which Mills always advocates. With Bencherif being flanked by Dan Parslow and Sean Newton, though, those two have been happy to take on that onus with reliable distribution that has often changed the team’s angles of attack.

There has also been more balance to the back three with left-footer Newton allowing Parslow to move over to his more natural side. Nevertheless, Klukowski’s expert reading of the game in that central role cannot be overlooked either when he is available again for selection.

Mills might also be tempted by the chance, in turn, to push Newton back into midfield where Asa Hall and Adriano Moke are starting, however, to sow the seeds of a promising partnership.