Five things we learnt from York City's win over Torquay

Here are five things we learnt from the game.

1. Confidence in top-seven finish well placed

York manager John Askey has been adamant from the off that his aim this season is to reach the play-offs.

At the start of the campaign, it seemed a lot to ask of a newly promoted side that went on to recruit 17 new faces in the summer.

Now though, 13 games in, it is clear why Askey was so confident in his prediction. City have gelled together exceptionally fast, in spite of how many arrivals there were.

Their form has seen them rise to seventh in the table and a win by at least two goals over Dagenham and Redbridge tomorrow (7.45pm) would see them sitting fourth in the Vanarama National League.

It is still early in the campaign and league positions are far from final, however 13 matches is a sizeable portion of the 46-game season.

For City to be so highly situated is nothing but positive and something the Minstermen will no doubt look to continue.

2. City are dealing with pressure better

There have been several instances this season where York have struggled to manage pressure put on them by opposing teams.

Against Torquay though, City seemed more resilient. For much of the opening stages of the second half, United controlled the game but City’s backline remained strong.

Aaron Jarvis’ golden opportunity to equalise was their only proper chance on goal and he was denied by a brilliant Ethan Ross save, from which City pushed on and regained control of the match before scoring through Alex Hurst.

3. Four-at-the-back still effective

York began the season playing in a 4-3-3 formation, the set-up fans had come to expect under Askey.

Starting against Maidenhead United earlier this season, City began playing with three centre-backs and two wing-backs, a formation that has proven itself a strong and valid option for the Minstermen.

Against Torquay, City were perhaps forced into reverting to a back four with the absence of centre-backs Fraser Kerr and Adam Crookes and they showed how impactful that formation still is.

The defence were strong against Torquay, particularly aerially, and the full-backs were successful in roaming forward on the wings, despite lacking an extra centre-half.

4. Hurst growing steadily into the team

In his first few matches for York, Hurst showed glimpses of what he could offer. His pace was often effective against opposing defences and he found himself in good positions, yet could not quite find a finish on his chances.

The attacker, who signed from Port Vale in the summer, notched his first goal for York against Barnet earlier this month in City’s 5-0 thrashing of the North London side.

Against Torquay he went on to score again, stealing possession on the half-way line before thundering forward and beating Mark Halstead with a shot from the left of the box.

It seems Hurst is becoming more comfortable within the City side and is now showcasing the player he truly is.

5. Supporters can and will spur York on

While City have been a strong side away from home this season, their form at the LNER Community Stadium prior to their win over Torquay was nothing special.

From five games, City had won twice, drawn once and lost twice, picking up just seven points from an available 15.

Against United though, York succeeded in using the energy of the home fans to spur them on.

When asked if he could see why supporters were excited, Askey replied: “Yeah, and that’s what we want. It’s great, it’s pleasing that people are feeling like that.

“Hopefully it continues. I know when I first came in, if we hadn’t played well for the first 10, 15 minutes, you could hear the moans and groans from the crowd.

“On Saturday, the supporters stayed with us, they kept singing, kept getting behind us. Thankfully, they got their rewards for doing that, so there’s been a big change there and we want to try and keep that going.

“The only way to keep it going is by winning games, but it’s a nice feeling at the football club at the moment.”