City History
2013/14 Review
Rising Stars
Largely sourced from The Press on
May 21 2014.
FORGET Steven Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea - surely the biggest
mistake of the 2013/14 football season was made by Cheltenham boss Mark Yates.
After all, how often can two players discarded by a League Two team have
gone on to make such an impact at a rival club plying their trade at the same
level.
Keith Lowe and Russell Penn were both deemed surplus to requirements by
Yates midway through a season that would see the Robins go nowhere near
emulating their play-off campaigns of the previous two years.
The experienced 28-year-old pair, meanwhile, who also played together
for Yates at Kidderminster, would go on to help form the spine of a City side,
along with equally influential recruits Nick Pope and John McCombe, that
mounted an unexpected, top-seven push of their own during a remarkable final
five months of the season.
Lowe and Pope arrived first in mid-November although the latter was
swiftly recalled by Charlton due to injury and would not return for another two
months.
In the meantime, Lowe's impact on a back-line that had shipped 38 goals
in 20 games at an average of 1.9 per match was beginning to take shape.
During the subsequent 32 fixtures, in which Lowe played every minute,
the side only conceded 17 times at an average of 0.53 goals per match.
A club record of 22 clean sheets in a regular season was also set
despite only three shut-outs having been mustered prior to Lowe's transfer to
Bootham Crescent.
As for Penn, his signing in January brought drive and purpose to a
midfield that had previously struggled to impose itself on matches.
Due to Dan Parslow and David McGurk's
injuries, he also quickly assumed the captain's armband and led the team by
example with previous skipper Chris Smith's ability to inspire the side having
seemingly waned earlier in the campaign.
On his return, meanwhile, Pope used his height and mature judgement to
stem the flow of a series of goals conceded from crosses into the penalty box,
while McCombe, after becoming a misfit at Mansfield, slotted in brilliantly
alongside Lowe.
The quartet all played key roles during an amazing transformation for a
club that had bid a welcome farewell to a 2013 that drew to a close with the
longest run of games without a win at the end of a calendar year.
Equally as concerning, from the 18 League Two clubs that had plied their
trade in the division during that year, only Conference-bound Torquay had
picked up fewer points.
City kicked off 2014 only outside the relegation zone on goal difference
and many feared another dogfight for Football League survival.
Bootham Crescent chief Nigel Worthington was, typically, calmer than
most but eager to get to January and apply some carefully-considered surgery to
his squad.
He will, nevertheless have been surprised himself by the subsequent
results.
On his hopes for the new year, Worthington was
targeting the same steady improvement he had set as the club's goal back in
August and added: "If you can string four or five wins together, you can
be sitting tenth or 12th and that's possible if everybody stays focussed."
As it happened, just two defeats in 23 matches saw the Minstermen show form that would have won the title by six
points had the campaign kicked off on January 1.
Another place in the history books was also secured when the team finished
off the regular season unbeaten in 17 matches - the first 16 of which saw only
three goals conceded and, remarkably, not a single one let in from open play.
It was a season of evolution, as much as of revolution despite the
unsentimental displacing of the likes of Ingham and Smith from the first XI.
From the team fielded by Worthington for the opening day of the
campaign, Smith, Craig Clay, Ashley Chambers and Richard Cresswell
had all left the club by the end of January.
Others like Ingham, McGurk, Tom Platt, Sander Puri
and Ryan Jarvis, meanwhile, all played vastly-reduced roles during the
second-half of the campaign.
Only full-backs Ben Davies and Lanre Oyebanjo would prove mainstays for
a full nine months and even the latter came under heavy pressure for his place
following the loan arrival of Luke O’Neill.
Both could now move on with Davies back at parent club Preston and
Oyebanjo believed to be keen on a move south.
With Pope also gone and all-action winger Josh Carson expected to be sidelined by Christmas, expectation might still need to be
tempered and patience exercised as Worthington looks for more astute additions
this summer.
A need for greater firepower will have to be addressed too with City
sustaining a promotion push despite averaging less than a goal a game during
the last 14 matches.
There will need to be less of an onus on leading marksman Wes Fletcher,
particularly if Jarvis is to remain on the periphery and players from other
departments of the team will also be required to chip in with more.
Central-midfielders Penn, Adam Reed, Lewis Montrose, Elliott Whitehouse,
Platt and Clay only managed one goal in 132 collective appearances.
That effort was also one that inadvertently bounced over the line off Montrose's
heel after a cross was dropped by Portsmouth keeper John Sullivan.
Neither full back got on the scoresheet either
despite Oyebanjo (46) and Davies (47) racking up 93 appearances between them.
Worthington is unlikely to overlook such statistics in an otherwise
proud season that saw York City re-establish themselves as a credible Football
League outfit.
The
Numbers
Goals:
Fletcher 13, Jarvis 9, Bowman 8, Coulson 7, Carson 5, Brobbel 4, McCombe 3, Own goals 2, Andrew 1, Hayhurst 1, Lowe 1, McGurk 1, Montrose 1, O’Neill 1.
Assists: Bowman 7, Coulson
7, Carson 6, Hayhurst 5, O’Neill 5, Brobbel 3, Fletcher 3, Jarvis 3, Oyebanjo 3, Clay 2, Davies
2, McGurk 2, Smith 2, Cresswell 1, Fyfield 1, Ingham
1, McCombe 1, Montrose 1, Penn 1, Reed 1.
Bad
boys: Montrose 11 yellow cards; Oyebanjo seven yellow; Whitehouse six yellow;
Carson, Lowe both five yellow; Bowman two red, two yellow; McCombe, O’Neill,
Penn, Smith all four yellow; Coulson, Davies, Hayhurst,
McGurk, Reed all three yellow; Cresswell one red, one
yellow; Andrew, Fyfield, Jarvis, Platt all two yellow; Chambers, Clay, Parslow
all one yellow.
The
Stats
·
City used 35 players this season, compared to 36 in 2012/13.
·
Three League doubles were achieved - Northampton Town, Portsmouth and
Torquay United - and no team defeated City twice.
·
The average League attendance of 3,773 was down from 3,887 the previous
campaign.
·
A tally of 41 goals conceded has been only bettered three times in the
Football League by City, in 1973/74 (38), 1983/84 (39) and 1993/94 (40).
·
A total of 22 clean sheets in the League is a new club record.
The
Squad
TOM
ALLAN Looked a little tentative at times when
given chances in the team. Has the ingredients to be a
good defender. Might just need to work on mental strength and
focus, especially at the start of games. Appearances: 4 (2), Goals: 0.
Rating: 6/10
CALVIN
ANDREW Brought muscle and endeavour to City’s
frontline following his March move. Carried a greater
attacking threat than his goal record suggested. Needs
to use his aerial strength closer to the opposition’s goal though.
Appearances: 7 (3), Goals: 1. Rating: 7/10
RYAN
BOWMAN Beset by injury and suspension problems
early on but still looked dangerous. Form then deserted him when he got a
prolonged run in the side. Still contributed to the cause,
though, as evidenced by his position at the top of the assists table.
Appearances: 26 (17), Goals: 8. Rating: 7/10
RYAN
BROBBEL Capable of providing some truly
out-of-the-ordinary moments as Scunthorpe will testify. Other matches passed
him by a little. Still got time to add consistency to his game and become more
robust. Appearances: 17 (4), Goals: 4. Rating: 7/10
JOSH
CARSON Never gave anything less than 100 per
cent. A genuine example of how wingers can be involved in games for 90 minutes.
Prodigious worker with a penchant for spectacular goals.
Appearances: 30 (2), Goals: 5. Rating: 8/10
TOM
CHAMBERLAIN Youth-team striker given a couple of
substitute outings during the first month of the campaign. Found it hard to
make an impression in both matches. Was not helped by the fact the team were
struggling. Appearances: 0 (2), Goals 0. Rating: 6/10
ASH
CHAMBERS A game changer on his day but also
prone to struggling on others. Too many under-par performances saw him moved on
mid-season. His Wembley heroics should never be forgotten though. Appearances:
10 (8), Goals 0. Rating: 5/10
CRAIG
CLAY Started encouragingly following his summer
move from Chesterfield. Capable of telling tackles and
passing the ball sensibly. Lost his way a little in early autumn though
and discarded in January. Appearances: 8 (2), Goals 0. Rating: 6/10
MICHAEL
COULSON Enjoyed a remarkable renaissance after being
left out of the squad entirely for 14 consecutive matches. A lively substitute
appearance against Rochdale proved a pivotal moment in his career and he went
on to score some vital long-range goals during the run-in. Perhaps
more dangerous on the wing but adapted well to play as an orthodox
centre-forward following Wes Fletcher’s injury. Appearances: 24 (12),
Goals: 7. Rating: 8/10
RICHARD
CRESSWELL Injuries meant he could not recapture past
glories on his third coming at Bootham Crescent. Showed strength to set up Ryan
Jarvis for an opening day win over Northampton but that proved his season’s
high point. Subsequently announced his retirement in
November. Appearances: 3 (5), Goals: 0. Rating: 6/10
BEN
DAVIES Emerged as one of the team’s most reliable
performers at left-back after understandably taking time to acclimatise to
League Two football. Had just three senior appearances under his belt prior to
a season-long loan move from Preston but his defensive resilience grew by the match. A bit reserved in his forages forward but also has
the capacity to improve in that department. Appearances: 47, Goals 0. Rating:
8/10
CHRIS
DICKINSON Impossible to cast judgement on a first-year
pro given just two run-outs as an 89th and 90th-minute substitute. Only made the bench once during the club’s last 14 games. Scored just once during 11 loan appearances at Whitby and Northallerton. Appearances: 0 (2), Goals: 0. Rating:
6/10
WES
FLETCHER Gave his team a real cutting edge when
fit. An awful challenge at Portsmouth ended his season prematurely. Showed strength with his back to goal, an ability to run beyond
defences and a real desire to get in the six-yard box and score.
Appearances: 26 (10), Goals: 13. Rating: 8/10
JAMAL
FYFIELD A City career that had its share of
peaks and troughs came to an end in January. Potentially dangerous when
travelling forward but prone to too many off days defensively and needed to be
stronger in the tackle. Could not dislodge Davies and moved on to Grimsby, who
released him last week. Appearances: 4 (1), Goals: 0. Rating: 5/10
WILL
HAYHURST Provided a good option with his dead-ball
deliveries following a February loan move from Preston. Could have imposed himself more in open play on occasions. Also
only managed one heavily deflected goal during his 20 outings.
Appearances: 16 (4), Goals: 1. Rating: 7/10
MICHAEl INGHAM Sidelined by injury in
pre-season and then lost his place to the excellent Nick Pope during January.
Not as commanding as in the past with balls into his penalty box. His fine
service to the club might still count for something,
however, as Nigel Worthington decides whether to reinstate him between the
sticks next season. Appearances: 22, Goals 0. Rating: 6/10
RYAN
JARVIS Started the campaign as the team’s attacking
talisman and was the only name on City’s scoresheet
for the first seven matches. Had a succession of niggling injuries mid-season
and could not break back into the team. Underused, a little
surprisingly, when the team were struggling for goals during the run-in to the
end of the season. Appearances: 25 (15), Goals: 9. Rating: 7/10
CHRIS
KETTINGS Aside from his kicking, the on-loan
Blackpool shot-stopper did reasonably well when called upon after Ingham was
declared unfit during the warm-up ahead of the FA Cup replay against Bristol
Rovers. Worthington’s subsequent decision to draft Pope in, though, proved an
inspired choice. As a consequence, a disappointed Kettings
chose to return to his parent club and missed out on a second chance when Pope
was recalled by Charlton two games later. Appearances: 1, Goals 0. Rating: 6/10
KEITH
LOWE Surely up there as one of the truest
competitors to ever pull on a City shirt. His impact on the club following a
November arrival from Cheltenham is there for all to see with an analysis of
the goals-conceded record thereafter. Hard to recall one costly mistake in that
time and any rare errors of judgement were compensated for by a willingness and
ability to recover quickly. Appearances: 32, Goals 1. Rating: 9/10
AARON
McCAREY The efforts of all the
three other keepers used by City in 2013/14 will perhaps unfairly be judged
alongside the merits of Pope. On-loan Wolves shot-stopper McCarey
did not dominate in the air in the same manner as the Charlton man. Also made a couple of errors. Appearances: 5, Goals 0.
Rating: 6/10
JOHN
McCOMBE Difficult to see why
Mansfield were willing to offload the two-time promotion winner at Port Vale
and Hereford. His power and risk-free approach to defending made him a strong
adversary for all opponents. Forged an excellent partnership with Lowe
following his January arrival and was also a big goal threat at set-pieces.
Appearances: 20 (1), Goals: 3. Rating: 9/10.
DAVID
McGURK Lost his place for the
final three months of the season after injury gave McCombe his chance in the
team. Was as dependable and reliable as ever, though, when called upon and his
reading of games was immaculate. A real shame he could not get a farewell
appearance under his belt after announcing his decision to retire from the
full-time game due to back trouble. Appearances: 22 (3), Goals: 1. Rating: 8/10
LEWIS
MONTROSE Has all the attributes to be a very
strong midfielder at League Two level with a long, loping stride, powerful shot,
good range of passes and bite in the tackle. Could not nail down a regular
starting place, though, as was unable to impose himself
and influence some games. Looked a little ponderous at times and only managed
one goal – when the ball was dropped on his heel by Portsmouth keeper John
Sullivan. Appearances: 28 (9), Goals 1. Rating: 6/10
CAMERON
MURRAY Showed good close control when given a
second-half cameo in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. Looked a skilful talent and
keen to express himself on the ball. The diminutive
midfielder will now be hoping for more opportunities next term. Appearances: 0
(1), Goals: 0. Rating: 6/10
LUKE
O’NEILL Classy right-back who created several goals
from his excellent crosses into the box. Arrived on loan from Burnley and very
composed in possession. Not afraid to try his luck from distance either, as he
displayed in spectacular fashion at Chesterfield. Appearances: 16, Goals: 1.
Rating: 8/10
LANRE
OYEBANJO Came under strong pressure for his
starting place when O’Neill was brought to the club. Moved into a right-wing
role for a spell but did not look too comfortable there. Finished
the season strongly after being restored to his more familiar position, defending
with determination and driving forward with intent. Appearances: 46,
Goals: 0. Rating: 8/10
DAN
PARSLOW His season was cruelly curtailed by
cruciate ligament damage in November. Prior to that setback, grafted well and
wore his heart on his sleeve. Will be working hard to fight
his way back into the team next term. Appearances: 16, Goals 0. Rating:
6/10
RUSSELL
PENN Cheltenham’s loss was City’s gain for a second
time when the combative midfielder followed Lowe out of Whaddon
Road to Bootham Crescent in January. Quickly made captain, he led the team by
example and never shirked a tackle. Always looked to take the
game to the opposition, although rarely threatened goal. Appearances:
23, Goals: 0. Rating: 8/10.
TOM
PLATT Could not build on his encouraging end to
the previous season. Difficult to recall too many highlights
in his 23 appearances that included no goals or assists. Might be better suited to a 4-3-3 formation as he found it hard to
get involved at times when used in a two-man midfield. Appearances: 14
(9), Goals: 0. Rating: 5/10
NICK
POPE Showed excellent judgement and confidence
to claim countless high balls into his penalty box during two loan spells from
Charlton. Remained undeterred by any rare mistakes and also displayed sharp
reflexes when needed. His kicking and coordination might need a little work but
has all the makings of a top keeper. Appearances: 24, Goals 0. Rating: 9/10
SANDER
PURI Hopes were high when the full Estonian
international joined City in the summer. He struggled with the pace and
intensity of League Two football though. Fell completely out of favour and
restricted to just two brief substitute outings from November onwards.
Appearances: 5 (6), Goals: 0. Rating: 5/10.
ADAM
REED Battled hard alongside Penn in midfield. Playing in a deeper role, he
did not carry the same goal threat he had during his first spell at the end of
the previous season. When briefly moved to the left wing, he did offer a
reminder of his ability to make well-timed runs into the penalty box. Appearances:
19 (2), Goals: 0. Rating: 7/10
CHRIS
SMITH Finished 2012/13 as League Two’s Player of
the Month and the club’s talismanic skipper. By September, however, he had lost
his place in the team and subsequently left the club at the end of the January
transfer window. Could not inspire the side in the same manner he had done in
the past and upset the manager when he took part in a post-match warm down
after declaring himself injured for the game. Appearances: 12 (1), Goals: 0.
Rating: 6/10
GEORGE
TAFT Leicester loan signing who looked a little
shell-shocked when thrown into the City back four. Was sent
back to the Championship club early when McGurk recovered from injury. Needed to use his physique to greater effect. Appearances: 2
(1), Goals: 0. Rating: 5/10
ELLIOTT
WHITEHOUSE Busy and energetic youngster who
willingly tore around the pitch. Lacked a little composure in
front of goal, although capable of getting into scoring positions. Sent
back to parent club Sheffield United at the turn of the year with his
performance levels dipping as the team struggled for results. Appearances: 18,
Goals: 0. Rating: 6/10
