YORK City interim assistant manager Scott Barrow believes that new signing Danny Rowe will prove a valuable asset to the Minstermen – if they play to his strengths.

Rowe, 34, was the Minstermen’s only deadline day signing last week, joining the club on loan from Vanarama National League play-off hopefuls Chesterfield, but has drawn criticism for a lack of match fitness and sharpness.

But Barrow is confident that once City begin to play the ball into Rowe’s feet, the “proven goalscorer” will have no problems finding the back of the net.

“We’ve got to play to Danny Rowe’s strengths,” he admitted. “[His] strengths are with the ball at his feet, not at his head.

“I played with Danny Rowe at AFC Fylde and he’s a very, very good player. He’s a finisher.

“But we’ve got to get the ball around his feet.”



Fans were shown glimpses of Rowe’s quality on the stroke of half-time on Tuesday night as he came inches away from his first assist, playing a teasing ball into Ryan Fallowfield at the far post, only for the full-back’s effort to cannon back off the post.

“The last five minutes of the first half, when we did get it to his feet, he’s unstoppable,” Barrow continued.

“He did get in good areas and in good pockets, he got the ball to Fallowfield and he hit the post.

“That’s the energy that you want him in, but you’ve got to play to his strengths and we didn’t. For 40 minutes, we played in the air, which is not his game, we’ve got to get it into his feet.

“We’ve now got a couple of days to work on those kinds of things because he’s going to be vital in the next couple of games. He’s a proven goalscorer at this level, and he’s got an absolute wand of a right and left foot.

“We just need to get a better look at Danny Rowe.”