DROPPED York City goalkeeper Jason Mooney has admitted that he is current first-choice Michael Ingham’s biggest ally and rival.

Mooney, now Ingham’s understudy on the substitute’s bench, knows that his new role requires him to support the man who has replaced him between the sticks, as well as do his best to displace him during coming weeks.

Summer signing Mooney lost his place to the long-serving Ingham after he was substituted at half-time during the Minstermen’s 2-2 midweek home draw against Cambridge.

The latter went on to earn his first start since the second week of January in a 1-1 draw at Exeter, where he held himself responsible for the hosts’ early opening goal.

Commenting on the balance he must strike as substitute goalkeeper, Mooney said: “If we do something good, we will tell each other and, on Saturday, when he knew he had made a bit of a mistake for their goal coming out for the ball, I went over to him at half-time and told him to get his head up.

“He did the same to me when I was playing and we are both the same. He would tell me different things at half-time and we are always there for each other, as well as providing competition for each other.”

Mooney conceded a stoppage-time equaliser during an opening day trip to Tranmere, where he plied his trade for two years until deciding to move on at the end of last term,

As one of a legion of ex-Wycombe Wanderers players in the Bootham Crescent ranks, along with Marvin McCoy, Dave Winfield, Lewis Montrose and Anthony Straker, he is now disappointed not to be facing another former employer this afternoon, as Ingham dons the gloves again.

“You like to be involved in every game and it’s disappointing whenever you’re not, especially against an old club,” the 6ft 81/2in shot-stopper reasoned. “I still know a few players from when I was there.

“Some of them were scholars like Max Kretzschmar and Josh Scowen, Matty McClure was a first-year pro and the manager Gareth Ainsworth was also a player back then, so it would have been nice to play against them and try and get a win.”

Explaining his decision to haul Mooney off at half-time against Cambridge, City boss Nigel Worthington described the 25-year-old Irishman’s opening 45 minutes as “very nervous”.

It is an explanation Mooney understands despite insisting that he did not feel anxious, adding: “Sometimes, it looks different from the sidelines.

“At the time, I did not feel it but, looking back at it on the DVD, there are a few decisions when I look nervous even if I wasn’t feeling that inside myself. I spoke with the manager and the keeper coach and totally accept what I have been told.

“I just have to put the work in on the training ground and get back in there.”

Worthington also challenged the ex-Ards and Bangor net-minder to bounce back from the experience and he is ready to meet that demand.

“For the first 24 or 48 hours afterwards, I was thinking about things,” he admitted. “I was really disappointed in myself but I have put my positive head back on and I have a goal now – to get myself back in the team.

“I have to show what I can do every day in training because there are no reserve games and stuff like that. I just have to be better than Inghy every day in training.”

 

KEITH Lowe’s 82nd-minute equaliser at Exeter last weekend not only maintained the Minstermen’s undefeated start to the new Sky Bet League Two campaign.

His header also saw the current group of players write themselves into the Bootham Crescent history books..

The draw against the Grecians meant City have now gone 11 matches undefeated on the road, setting a new club record at Football League level.

That tally beats the previous best sequence, held for more than 40 years and set by City’s famous class of 1973/74 when the likes of Chris Jones, Jimmy Seal and Barry Jackson helped the club reach the second tier of the English game for the first and only time.

Following this afternoon’s home clash with Wycombe, Nigel Worthington’s men will also have the opportunity to equal the overall club record of 14 games undefeated on the road, established by Gary Mills’ 2011/12 double-winning Wembley squad during the eight-year Conference era.

The next three games will be at Barnsley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, followed by league trips to Stevenage and Burton on consecutive weekends.

 

LUKE Summerfield has climbed up to second in The Press Player of the Year standings.

The 26-year-old midfielder was our man of the match for a second successive game during last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Exeter.

That honour earned him three points towards the contest, still headed by fellow summer signing Anthony Straker.

The other Press points at St James Park were awarded to full-backs Marvin McCoy (two) and Femi Ilesanmi (one), as our second and third-highest rated players respectively.

McCoy, meanwhile, collected the two Player of the Month bonus points on offer after polling the most man-of-the-match votes from visitors to our website and followers of the @daveflettpress Twitter account.

Attacking pair Straker and Michael Coulson share the lead in that competition.

To be in with a chance of presenting The Press Player of the Month for August with a framed photograph at Bootham Crescent, vote for your man of the match from today’s home game with Wycombe by visiting www.yorkpress.co.uk or by tweeting @daveflettpress

The Press Player of the Year standings: Straker 7, Summerfield 6, Coulson 5, Penn 4, Lowe 3, McCombe 2, McCoy 2, Ilesanmi 1.

The Press Player of the Month for August: Coulson 7, Straker 7, Summerfield 6, McCoy 4, Penn 4, Ilesanmi 3, Lowe 3, Hyde 2, McCombe 2, Meikle 2.

Goals: Hyde 2, Lowe 2, Fletcher 1.

Assists: Coulson 1, McCoy 1, Meikle 1, Straker 1, Summerfield 1.

Bad boys: Penn two yellow; Platt one yellow.