ASSISTS ace Michael Coulson believes his new role in the hole can help him create even more chances for York City.

The 26-year-old attacker was moved from the right flank into a roving central position as City chief Russ Wilcox switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation for Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Luton.

Coulson responded by teeing up both of the visitors' goals at Kenilworth Road, providing crosses from the right and left to help get Josh Carson and Emile Sinclair's names on the scoresheet.

Those deliveries mean Coulson has now set up ten of the Minstermen's 31 goals this term and he feels that ratio can be maintained or bettered if he continues to be used in positions closer to the opposition's goal.

He said: "Creating chances for other people is a big and important part of my game and, when I'm in that area of the pitch, I'm more involved. Sometimes, out wide, you can go 20 minutes without touching the ball and you can get frustrated.

"Then, the next time you do get it, you might do something you shouldn't instead of keeping things simple. In the middle, you pick the ball up in good areas and never drift out of matches, which is good.

"I'm not going to deny that I haven't scored enough goals this season but, at least, I'm setting them up and it's good to be involved in so many. Hopefully, I can push that tally higher now."

Having netted six times during the last 15 games of last season, Coulson also reckons the team's new tactical set-up could help him improve on a return of three goals from 33 outings this term.

"In that position, you are getting balls on the edge of the area and, then, it's just a matter of one touch and getting a shot off," he reasoned. "Luton's keeper pulled off some good saves the other night but I'm hoping I can go on a run again and get a few goals.

"It was really enjoyable playing in the new position. The gaffer told me at breakfast on the morning of the game and my eyes lit up straight away because it was my opportunity to show him what I could do in that position as I'd not played there since he came to the club."

Coulson, meanwhile, is eyeing up this afternoon's home clash with fellow strugglers Tranmere as an opportunity to exact revenge having been a member of the City side that was denied an opening day victory at Prenton Park when James Rowe pounced for a stoppage-time equaliser.

The Minstermen went on to concede further last-gasp goals in their next two matches, resulting in a Capital One Cup defeat against Doncaster and another league draw with Northampton during a demoralising start to the campaign.

"Late goals have been the story of our season and who knows where we would be if we had held on for the win during that first game and the next one?" Coulson pondered. "It might have been a whole different season, so we owe them one, as well as ourselves."

With City having also surrendered four leads at home this season, Coulson believes the key to improving fortunes at Bootham Crescent - the team have still only won once on their own soil in 2014/15 - could be pushing harder for a two-goal advantage.

That is something that has proven elusive during in 23 home fixtures since a 2-0 triumph over Wycombe last March with Coulson adding: "When we've scored away from home, we've generally scored another soon afterwards.

"But at home, if we have taken the lead, we've seemed to sit back and kind of panic. We've given so many good teams a game away from home but let ourselves down week in, week out at home, which has got to change.

"I know we've been saying that all season but, at some point, we have got to put in a performance at home. Tranmere have made some good signings in the window and they're scrapping for their lives like us so it's a massive six-pointer and, hopefully, the fans can get behind us.

"We are well aware that we let them down last weekend when we lost to Dagenham and none of us were good enough."

Having been at City since the club's return to the Football League, Coulson is now determined to avoid taking the club's fight for survival to the final day as was the case in 2013 and still harbours hopes of an upturn in form, as happened 12 months ago when the team charged into a play-off position on the back of an unbeaten 17-match run.

"We don't want the same scenario of two years ago and, at this stage, we have enough games to stop that from happening," he pointed out. "We've also still got 16 matches left to put a run together and get into mid-table.

"We've spoken a lot about last season and this season and, for me, I don't think we were playing much better than we are now but we were winning every week. That shows the little differences and what confidence can do.

"I think some of our performances have been better than last season but we haven't got the results. We know the potential is there, though, because a lot of us were here this time last year."