ADAM HINSHELWOOD was ecstatic with the sensational hat-trick of Ollie Pearce after York City cruised to a 4-0 victory over Yeovil Town.

Pearce netted York’s opener with a coolly-taken free-kick, before doubling his tally in the second-half after racing onto a through ball from Malachi Fagan-Walcott.

His hat-trick was complete after heading home from a corner, with Hinshelwood delighted for the striker, who took home the match ball with his father in attendance.

“I think he’ll be disappointed with the one he missed just before, but that’s Ollie,” Hinshelwood enthused.

“He keeps going, and this is what I’ve seen from Ollie for the last six or seven years that I’ve been coaching him, maybe more.

“The last person I saw before going back to the dugout was his dad, so I was thinking about him travelling all the way up here to support Ollie and for him to come away with the match ball is great.

“He’s such an intelligent player, I could ask him to play anywhere in my team and he would understand the role, and I think that that side of it sometimes goes unnoticed.

“He definitely knows where the back of the net is.”

Pearce and York’s first of the afternoon came from a free-kick, after Yeovil’s Finn Cousin-Dawson was shown a red card.

The City striker fired a low free-kick beneath the wall which nestled into the bottom left corner.

It was perhaps a surprise to see Pearce on the free-kick, after Alex Hunt had scored two incredible set-pieces in the weeks prior, but Hinshelwood admitted that it was welcome pressure for the York talisman. 

Hinshelwood continued: “He put that pressure on himself, he moved Hunty out of the way.

“It was a bit too close for Hunty and he’s said ‘no, I’m the person to take this’, so credit to him.

“There was one penalty at Woking earlier in the season that he let Len [Lenell John-Lewis] take, but I think if that was to happen now, there would only be one person to take it.

“It just shows how far he has come in a short space of time and the confidence he’s now playing with.”

That free-kick tactic, to shoot low and beneath the wall, was an idea put forward by assistant manager Gary Elphick, who had done his research on the opposition.

Hinshelwood heaped praise onto the coach, whilst commending the reaction shown by his players from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Forest Green Rovers.

“It was a great response from the players and the team today.

“There were some good stuff, we looked hungry and it was the response we wanted.

“Gary Elphick has got to take enormous credit, he sent me a photo of their wall jumping really high the other day and we got the message on to Callum Howe to relay it to the players.

“That little detail and the time that Gaz has taken there has seen us get a very important goal in the match.

”Huge compliments to him, huge compliments to the ground staff as well, they’ve worked really hard to get the game on.

“I’m really, really pleased, the result was exactly what we needed.

“He’s [Elphick] a wonderful person to have alongside me and a lot of plaudits come my way, but it’s a real team effort so I’m keen to get a photo with everybody that contributes to what the team produces on the pitch.

“I’d love to take all the credit myself, but it’s most definitely not just all my work.

“It’s a massive moment in the game and that little bit of time that he has took to look at that has made a big difference today.”