YORK City striker Jake Hyde believes the team are better suited to attacking on the road ahead of tomorrow’s Sky Bet League Two clash at AFC Wimbledon.

The Minstermen are the fourth-highest scorers in the division on their travels but the lowest marksmen at home.

Hyde, himself, has not netted a league goal at Bootham Crescent since August and the last four of his seven goals this term have all been converted at away grounds.

Tuesday’s 3-0 triumph at Cambridge, in which Hyde notched, took City’s away goal tally to 22, compared to a paltry haul of 12 in North Yorkshire, with the 24-year-old forward saying: “I feel, with the forward line we have, we are better on the counter attack.

“We can open people up when we have a bit of space and we break at pace. We also like to move the ball quickly and, more often that not, without making excuses, the away pitches are slightly better than ours and enable us to do that easier.

“Maybe, there’s a bit more pressure at home too - I don’t know - but we know it’s important to get more home points and we will carry on working on that.

Hyde, meanwhile, is determined to avoid a hat-trick of defeats this season against tomorrow’s hosts following an FA Cup replay exit and a league loss to the Dons at Bootham Crescent.

He added: “We’ve played them enough times to know what they’re all about and we owe them two. They’re a hard side to beat and they know the league well.

“They’ve beaten us twice and we can’t let that happen again. They put the ball in the box very well and Adebayo Akinfenwa can cause problems up top.

“It might come down to us strikers pressing higher up the pitch to make things difficult for them because we’ve got to stop them getting the ball in the box quickly and attacking it. That also means we’ve got to avoid conceding as many set-plays as we can.”

Hyde also reckons that Dave Winfield’s absence for the home team, due to the terms of his loan move from the Minstermen, will weaken the Wombles.

He added: “Dave’s a big, strong boy and a good pro. He’s done well for them since he’s been there and, if they have to make changes from their favoured starting XI, then that’s fantastic for us.

“They’ve got another centre-back coming in who hasn’t played for a while because Dave’s kept him out of the side so that’s a positive for us. It means they will be missing a key player at the back.”

Hyde went on to admit that he has returned from suspension - the first of his career - smarting after being sidelined for three matches following his controversial red card at Luton.

“No footballer likes watching games, especially when you’re fit to play but can’t have any influence on the games,” he explained. “I didn’t agree with the suspension and it was horrible to miss three games in the situation we are in.

“We were also winning 2-0 in a massive game when I was sent off and it wasn’t even a foul but it changed the whole game. It was a very frustrating time and I was gutted when the red card wasn’t over-turned because I didn’t feel that was fair.

“It was just a block tackle and, when their manager says that he didn’t even think it was a foul, then that usually tells you something. But the FA always seem to back the referees and, while it cost me, it’s in the past now so it’s time to move forward.

“It was lovely to get back on to the pitch with the boys at Cambridge and nice to get on the scoresheet.

That builds your confidence as a centre-forward although that was of secondary importance to the three points.”

York Press:

HYDE TIME: Jake Hyde celebrates scoring in the FA Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon

Manager Russ Wilcox referred to Hyde’s comeback goal as a poacher’s effort and the ex-England ‘C’ international prides himself on such strikes, saying: “As a young lad, when you’re a centre-forward, you’re always taught to keep on the move in the box, so I just tried to guess where the ball would go and I was delighted it fell to me.”

With fellow forward Wes Fletcher joining him on the scoresheet at the Abbey Stadium, both players are now locked to - gether as seven-goal leading marks - men but Hyde admitted that the pair will be unhappy if they don’t hit double figures by the end of the campaign.

“If you had asked me and Wes at the start of the season, if we would be disappointed if we didn’t get double figures, then the answer would have been 100 per cent yes, of course,” he pointed out. “The season has not gone to plan but we’ve got to keep chipping away and scoring goals to win us games.

“All our goals from now until the end of the season will be massively important because they will help keep us away from the relegation zone.”

Diego De Girolamo’s return on loan from Sheffield United, following Emile Sinclair’s recruitment from Northampton, should also mean the team have the firepower across the board to secure Football League survival.

“Diego is another option and he is completely different to me and Wes,” Hyde said. “He likes to play deeper rather than run in behind and wants to get on the ball and shoot from distance.

“He has a good goal record too and I am sure whoever plays will try their hardest for the team and we’re not short of strikers. We’ve got loads and it’s all good competition.

“Hopefully, we can all rally together and three goals away from home is fantastic for any team. Me and Wes really enjoyed playing together at Cambridge and, hopefully, we can all keep forging those kind of partnerships.”