YORK City boss Martin Gray believes his team are too dependent on veteran marksman Jon Parkin.

Parkin has plundered 16 goals this season with skipper Sean Newton, who last netted in the league on August 26, a distant second in the club’s charts on four

Next in the standings is another midfielder Simon Heslop, currently on loan at Eastleigh, having scored three goals, which is the same number that striker Amari Morgan-Smith has managed in 23 outings.

James Gray is yet to open his account in six appearances for the Minstermen and, of the other centre-forwards to have led the line this term, Michael Rankine scored two in the same match from his eight games before being sidelined by a high-blood pressure problem, while Gary Martin mustered one goal in four fixtures prior to being released when it was discovered he had played for a Sunday Morning League team in Darlington.

During the 2-1 defeat at Boston, a subdued Parkin was kept off the scoresheet for only the second time in ten contests, while Gray, Morgan-Smith and Aidan Connolly all failed to beat home keeper George Willis with golden opportunities.

On the importance of players sharing the marksman mantle with the former Championship campaigner, who will turn 36 at the end of this month, City chief Gray reasoned: “I feel at times that we rely on him so much and the other forwards need to start contributing when they get good chances, which they had at Boston.

“Over the 90 minutes, Jon didn’t have one, which is very rare but, as forwards, the others have to stake their claims and convert their chances and we’re not doing that. Their goalkeeper made an outstanding save in the second half, but you’d expect the ball to be in the back of the net.

“(Adriano) Moke should have also got scored another in the first half when the ball was fizzed across and, with all these chances, the ball and everything has to go in the back of the net.”

Gray went on to point out that Josh Law’s relegation to the bench at Boston was a warning for any player who does not meet the standards he expects from his squad.

The 28-year-old right back, recruited from third-tier Oldham over the summer, had been an ever-present in the league for the Minstermen this term, but Dan Parslow was preferred in his position after Gray was left fuming by Law’s culpability for the goal that was conceded during the previous weekend’s 3-1 FA Trophy home victory against Coalville.

“People have to defend better individually and cut out errors,” the City chief declared. “I felt too many goals over the previous eight games were coming from that side of the pitch through basic errors or whatever they maybe and it was a change that was made to strengthen that position.”