JON Parkin has now scored more goals for York City than any other club in his prolific career, but manager Martin Gray is setting no targets for the 35-year-old talisman this term.

The former Championship marksman’s brace of penalties during Saturday’s 3-1 FA Trophy triumph over Coalville Town took his all-time tally during two spells with the Minstermen to 47.

That return is one more than Parkin managed in two seasons with Forest Green Rovers and he has also moved on to an impressive 16 goals for the current season.

Having gone three matches without a goal before scoring his 200th as a professional against Salford, Parkin has quickly moved on to 212 during the dozen games since and Gray believes making that figure as high as possible should now be his biggest incentive with the ex-Preston, Stoke and Hull striker in his twilight years.

“I think his only target should be to see how many goals he can score in his career,” Gray declared. “He’s at the back end of it now and, when he retires and hangs up his boots, it would be great if he can look back at York City as a main part of his career and what a high he could finish on.

“If he can get 25 or 30 goals this season, that helps put you in a position, as a manager, to get where you want to be. He is what he is and is a tough character with really strong mental strength, who is fantastic to work with and I’m sure the players understand what he brings to the team.”

Gray went on to confirm that David Ferguson and Amari Morgan-Smith are both in contention to retain the starting places for Saturday’s National League North trip to Boston United after being preferred to Alex Whittle and Aidan Connolly in the Trophy win over Evo-Stik Northern League premier division side Coalville.

“I wanted to look at different people and felt I could give a couple of lads some game time (in Saturday’s match),” the City chief reasoned.

“I wanted to see how people are, but they were changes I might have made if it was a league game as well, because we have a stronger squad than we had six or seven weeks ago.”