York City striker Jake Hyde will not blame Bootham Crescent pitch if home struggles continue

The Minstermen have only won one of their 16 fixtures in North Yorkshire this season and an unpredictable playing surface, which is churning up divots, is now making it difficult for manager Russ Wilcox to impose his preferred passing game on opposition sides.

But Hyde felt the players adjusted their style of play well during Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Burton and has no complaints if the team have to adopt a direct approach during future fixtures in a division not always renowned for its attractive football.

The ex-Barnet forward said: “It wasn’t easy to play football on Saturday, to be honest, but we played to the conditions. We worked hard to put them under pressure and had to be more direct.

“I thought we did that well and not every game in this division will be pretty. We didn’t adapt very well the week before when we played Stevenage, but we were much better against Burton.

“I like to get the ball down, pass and move but you don’t always get that luxury. You’ve got to be able to mix it as well and do whatever you can to win a game of football.

“That might mean chasing things down and challenging the centre-halves. Luke Summerfield also likes to get the ball down and play, but he will be the first to go and win the ball when needed and you have to do that.”

With flowing football coming increasingly difficult on City’s pitch, the coming months might also witness a growing reliance on set-piece innovation.

Hyde played a part in Emile Sinclair’s debut goal at the weekend from Malvind Benning’s free-kick with Michael Coulson and John McCombe also involved in an intricate five-man drill and the Minstermen’s six-goal top scorer is pleased with the club’s current dead-ball armoury, while recognising the need to be flexible in such situations too.

He added: “It’s great to see something you’ve worked on in training come off on match day and that goal was something we had been working at for a while. When the gaffer decides he’s putting together some new set-pieces, we learn them inside out every week.

“We go over them a few times usually on a Monday and then again on Friday to refresh it. Which set- piece we use depends on where the ball is on the pitch and what’s the best option.

“Sometimes, you have to react to the situation as Russ Penn did when he crossed the ball for Keith Lowe to head in at Hartlepool. That was an important goal and it’s all about choosing the right time to do something you’ve practised or something else that might work.

“For the one on Saturday, we had two different groups in the penalty box and I was just there to attack the ball. When it came to me, I was a bit too far out to score with my head, so I put it across to John McCombe who did well to hook it back in for Emile.”

Hyde, meanwhile, has gone six matches without netting, but is ready to rise to Wilcox’s challenge for the team to poach more Gary Lineker-type goals.

“I’ve scored most of my career goals in and around the six-yard box and that’s my game if I’m honest,” he explained. “If we get the ball in the box, I’ve got no doubt we will score goals.

“We’ve just all got to be a bit more effective in that final third of the pitch and ten per cent better.”

The 24-year-old forward is not taking his starting place for granted either, following Sinclair’s arrival and last term’s leading marksman Wes Fletcher and on-loan Norwich attacker Carlton Morris looking to feature as well.

On that battle for selection, Hyde said: “Emile is a good addition to the team. He worked very hard on Saturday and got his rewards with the goal, which is always nice on your debut because it gives you the confidence to push on.

“We’ve got a real mix in the forward positions now. There are four very different options.

“Emile can play through the middle and wide, so the manager has big decisions to make because everyone is fighting for shirts.”

GOOD ADDITION: Emile Sinclair's arrival at York City has brought extra competition for places

Hyde is also determined to recover from the disappointment of conceding an 88th-minute equaliser against Burton and focus on an encouraging display instead, explaining: “Burton were second in the table for a reason, so we knew we were playing a good side, but I think we started better than we have for a long time and put them under pressure.

“Without playing great football, we played really well in terms of our organisation and positional sense and limited then to only two shots on target.

"We made a good team look average, so it was absolutely gutting to see them get the equaliser in the manner they did with a cross that ended up in the bottom corner, but we have just got to take all the positives out of the game.”

The summer signing is now looking forward to this weekend’s visit to promotion hopefuls Southend at what he considers a happy hunting ground after netting in his last trip to Roots Hall - a 2-2 draw when he was a Barnet player in 2012.

“They’ve been a good side at this level for a while now,” Hyde said. “They beat us 3-2 at our place this season but that was another game we should have got something from.

“I’ve always quite liked playing at their ground. The fans are right on top of you and the atmosphere is brilliant.

“Every player has their favourite stadiums and I’ve always seemed to score or get a result there.

“We will give them respect as one of the division’s sides, but we will also go there looking to win."