Hinshelwood’s side ended pre-season with back-to-back wins after being lower league Marine last weekend, and then Spennymoor Town this afternoon after a goal from trialist Conor McAleny split the two teams in County Durham.
Despite a final result of 1-0, York will feel as if the score line could have been much more convincing after numerous chances were either hit wide, kept out by opposing goalkeeper Brad James or even hit the post in a slightly frustrating afternoon at Brewery Field.
Hinshelwood believes he has spotted the areas that need improving upon ahead of next Saturday’s Enterprise National League opener against Sutton United at the LNER Community Stadium (3pm), whilst also being impressed by manners of City’s performance against Spennymoor.
“Some really good bits of play, especially in and around the box, but we lacked that end bit today,” Hinshelwood admitted post-match.
“I think that you can play as well as that and win a game 4-0 or 5-0, but it didn’t quite fall for us.
“When a team sits in, it makes it difficult, but we’ve got to be clinical and it wasn’t quite that today.
“Some of the play in and around the box was excellent, but our stuff out-of-possession was pretty poor and we were too easy to play against all over the pitch.
“There’s definite room for improvement there.
“In the main, there was some really positive stuff, it’s another clean sheet which makes it back-to-back clean sheets, and I thought that we defended our corners excellently.
“The first contact, a little tweak in our shape from set-pieces and I think we looked a lot more solid.
“We’ve got to take those positives out of it, because I think it’s more of a concern if you’re not getting in the final third and are not creating chances.
“I think we’re definitely doing that, I think that first goal just settled us down a little bit and some of the play was excellent.
“It was really nice to watch, but it’s alright doing that, but we ultimately didn’t hit the target or work the goalkeeper enough.”
Hinshelwood may be tempted to set-up one or two extra shooting drills after the manager admitted to being frustrated by York’s lack of clinical nature in front of goal, albeit he was pleased that his side were able to find their way into those promising positions.
He now wants City to be more ruthless in front of goal, identifying the ‘finer details’ that he feels will prove a positive should the Minstermen improve upon them for Sutton.
The York manager continued: “That’s where my frustration comes, because I think it’s hard to get in those positions and create those chances, you might as well kick the ball off and the same thing happens; a goal kick at the end of the day.
“We’ve got to work the goalkeeper a lot more and be more ruthless, but I didn’t see it from the players, and I know there’s the ability in them.
“I know they can score goals and put these chances away, we’re getting into some good areas.
“If anything, I think this result just keeps us humble a little bit.
“We’re not the finished article at that end of the pitch and we’re a bit too easy to play against in the transitions.
“We’ve got to be better, there’s a lot of work for us to do this week.
“There were some pleasing aspects in there, I don’t want to be too negative, because there were some positives in there as well.
“It’s just getting those finer details ready for this week.
“A bit of shooting practice, a lot of dealing with the overloads and dealing with the ball on the 18-yard box and breaking quickly.
“That sort of happened a little bit and we defended that better.
“Like I say, it’s just the finishing touches, there were some pleasing aspects as well.”
A question left lingering often in pre-season is who the trialist is, and whether they can earn a permanent contract with the football club.
Eagle-eyed supporters had already identified McAleny as the trialist that took part in York’s open training session on Wednesday, with the former Salford City and Oldham Athletic attacker earning minutes for Hinshelwood’s side at Spennymoor Town.
Hinshelwood was glad to see the trialist score the winner, and felt as if McAleny’s second effort on goal, which struck the post, ‘summed up’ the day for the Minstermen.
“He created a few chances, he’ll probably be disappointed that he didn’t get the second one that trickled along the line there.
“That probably summed us up a little bit, some really good opportunities and we didn’t work the goalkeeper.
“He had half a chance, went through the lads legs and tucked it away.
“That’s what you want when games are tight, to have that little bit of quality.
“It was a good test, that’s why I liked this game, it’s a good and honest test.
“It was a good game for us to have.”
