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10:28am Saturday 5th April 2008

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NICKY Wroe's brace might not have been sufficient to earn York City a result at Stevenage Borough on Tuesday night but his double-strike set a new club record.

The former Barnsley midfielder's two-goal blast took Wroe's 2007/2008 tally to ten, meaning he has become the club's fifth marksman to hit double figures for the season.

Onome Sodje (15), Craig Farrell (14), Martyn Woolford (14) and Richard Brodie (10) are the others and the quintet's achievement is unprecedented in the club's 76-year history.

On nine separate occasions, four players have managed the feat - most recently when Alan Little's old Second Division play-off semi-finalists had Paul Barnes (17), Paul Baker (14), Glenn Naylor (11) and Jon McCarthy (10) as regulars on the scoresheet in 1994/95.

Prior to that campaign, the distinguished quartet of John Byrne (28), Keith Walwyn (25), Gary Ford (12) and John McPhail (10) from the all-conquering 1983/84 championship team were the last to equal a record, first set in 1934/35.

The benchmark for any successful striker, of course, is 20 goals a season but, as manager Colin Walker pondered this week: "Do you want two players to get 25 or five to get 50?

"I don't really know but you always want more out of them."

With four-goal Paul Brayson departed and only seven matches left, City are unlikely, though, to add a sixth name to this season's double-figure brigade.

Two-goal hopefuls Stuart Elliott and Danny Parslow would need to hit the net at an average higher than one a game.

McGurk marches ahead

THE Press Player of the Year leader David McGurk has won his third Player of the Month award of the season.

McGurk finished top of the standings for the second successive month having also taken the honours in September.

The former Darlington defender was four points ahead of nearest rival Ben Purkiss despite the latter's Press man-of-the-match show in lthe final game of March - the 1-0 home loss to Ebbsfleet.

That accolade earned Purkiss three points with Richard Brodie (two) and McGurk (one) also being recognised as our second and third-highest rated players.

McGurk sealed his position after polling the most man-of-the-match votes from our website.

Defender Darren Craddock and midfielder Stuart Elliott, meanwhile, are the early leaders of our April competition.

Craddock was our man of the match in the 3-2 defeat at Stevenage with Nicky Wroe (two) and Stuart Elliott (one) also picking up points.

The website vote - and two bonus points - went to Elliott.

McGurk now leads the Player of the Year race, based solely on Press ratings, by two points from Martyn Woolford.

To be in with a chance of presenting the April Player of the Month award, vote for today's man of the match by visiting thepress.co.uk

Press Player of the Year standings: McGurk 39 points, Woolford 37, Elliott 23, Purkiss 22, Panther 19, Parslow 19, Robinson 18, Sodje 18, Brodie 15, Kelly 14, Wroe 14, Craddock 13, Farrell 12, Brayson 9, Evans 8, McBreen 7, Lloyd 6, Hegarty 4, Rusk 2, Jones 1.

Press Player of the Month for March final standings: McGurk 19, Purkiss 15, Parslow 13, Brodie 6, Elliott 4, Woolford 4, Robinson 4, Farrell 2, Kelly 2, Wroe 2, Craddock 1.

Press Player of the Month for April latest standings: Craddock 3, Elliott 3, Wroe 2.

Goals: Sodje 15, Farrell 14, Woolford 14, Brodie 10, Wroe 10, Brayson 5, Elliott 2, Kelly 2, McBreen 2, own goal 2, Parslow 2, Fortune-West 1, Lloyd 1, McGurk 1, Panther 1, Robinson 1.

Assists: Woolford 16, Brodie 10, Sodje 10, Wroe 9, Panther 7, Brayson 6, Elliott 5, Farrell 5, Purkiss 4, McBreen 3, Robinson 2, Beardsley 1, Craddock 1, Fortune-West 1, Fry 1, Greenwood 1, Rusk 1.

Bad boys: Elliott 1 red, 9 yellow; McGurk 7 yellow; Craddock 5 yellow; Brodie 1 red, 3 yellow; Panther 4 yellow; Robinson 1 red, 2 yellow; Kelly 3 yellow; Brayson 2 yellow, Parslow 2 yellow, Rusk 2 yellow, Wroe 2 yellow; Beardsley 1 yellow, Fortune-West 1 yellow, Greenwood 1 yellow, Lloyd 1 yellow, Sodje 1 yellow, Woolford 1 yellow.