YORK City will need to break down one of the country’s most miserly defences tomorrow should their FA Trophy first round home tie against Boston United go ahead.
The fourth-placed Pilgrims, who were relegated three divisions when their Football League tenure ended in 2007, have kept 13 clean sheets in their 16 Blue Square Bet North fixtures this season and their tally of nine goals conceded is a record that can only be matched by table-topping Alfreton Town.
A club record of ten successive league shut-outs, however, ended with a crushing 4-0 defeat at Droylsden in their last Blue Square Bet North match on November 13.
The Bootham Crescent clash is also poised to be Boston’s first game for three weeks since their 2-1 Trophy victory over neighbours Gainsborough Trinity booked a place in the first round proper.
And, despite their steely defence, the Pilgrims have won just one of their last four league matches, scoring only one goal in the process.
Former Peterborough United keeper James McKeown, who played in four Championship matches for Posh last season, will return between the sticks against the Minstermen after recovering from an ankle injury that saw him replaced by ex-Lancashire cricketer Gary Montgomery against Gainsborough.
Centre-back Shaun Pearson (ankle) and striker Danny Davidson (hamstring) are also expected to have regained fitness during the enforced lay-off and are likely to be handed starting places at the expense of James Cullingworth and Marc Newsham as manager Rob Scott selects from a fully-fit squad.
In total, the Pilgrims can call on the services of ten players boasting Football League experience with Newsham also having played at Championship level for Rotherham.
Experienced defenders Gareth Jelleyman, pictured, and Lee Canoville, who made his professional debut for Arsenal at the age of 19, both have more than 200 League appearances to their name, while six-goal leading marksman Spencer Weir-Daley has scored goals for five different pro clubs – Nottingham Forest, Macclesfield, Lincoln, Bradford and Notts County.
Manager Scott, meanwhile, numbers Sheffield United, Scarborough, Northampton, Fulham, Carlisle, Rotherham, Oldham, Macclesfield and Halifax amongst his old employers. The Epsom-born 37-year-old was handed the managerial reigns at the Lincolnshire outfit in May 2009 after guiding Ilkeston to promotion from the UniBond League.
Boston regularly attract 1,500 crowds at their York Street stadium but the cold weather is likely to reduce tomorrow’s travelling party to approximately 200.
Boston (probable): McKeown; Canoville, Murphy, Pearson, Jelleyman; Semple, Clarke, Church, Yates; Davidson, Weir-Daley.
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