PLAYER-COACH Lee Nogan is determined to end his barren spell and has also called on his fellow strikers to share the responsibility of firing York City up the Conference table.

Andy Bishop has netted four times this season but the Minstermen's other recognised forwards Nogan, Paul Robinson and Lev Yalcin have managed just one goal apiece.

Only Farnborough Town have scored less in the Conference this season and the fact that Turkish Under-20 international Yalcin has recently expressed a preference for playing in midfield could further reduce the Minstermen's goal threat.

Nogan, speaking ahead of today's game against high-flying Carlisle at Bootham Crescent, said: "Darren Dunning and Paul Groves have got their fair share from midfield and now the forwards have got to start chipping in.

"It's not through the want of trying and we are working hard in training on shooting exercises but we can't hide from the fact that a problem has been our strikers are not getting goals whether that's myself, Andy Bishop or Paul Robinson. We can all say we should have scored more.

"I have not scored as many as I would have liked and should have done and I am disappointed with that but it won't affect me and, to use the old clich, I'll take every game as it comes and believe I can score in the next one.

"I am happy with my game. I missed the first few matches of the season and have not been lasting as long and feeling a bit after 70 minutes but hopefully something will turn.

"I won't shirk my responsibility and I want to keep doing my best for York City but if something needs to be changed up front then it will have to be done.

"I should have got a couple against Leigh RMI and one on Saturday but, overall, you can't say people are missing gilt-edged chances week in, week out."

Nogan also feels City's approach play needs to be more incisive with possession turned into more regular goalscoring opportunities.

The 35-year-old striker added: "We should have taken our chances and won the games against Leigh and Northwich but there's only been a couple of matches that we should have won if we had not missed the opportunities we created. We are doing well possession wise but, for all that, we have not really tested many 'keepers this season and have got to create more chances."

Nogan's present striking partner Bishop set himself a target of 20 goals at the start of the season and, despite the Minstermen's shot-shy start to the campaign, City's player-coach still believes the 22-year-old attacker can still reach his desired tally.

The player-coach said: "Bish got four in seven games and said he felt he was playing better when he wasn't scoring but, as a forward, I would prefer to be playing badly and getting goals.

"I think if he plays like he did on Saturday at Woking he could get 20 goals, no problem."

Updated: 10:05 Saturday, November 27, 2004