York City unveil new number 9 as second summer signing

York City have made their second signing of the summer, and he’s a striker!

Manager Martin Gray has swooped to sign who he describes as a natural number 9, in Gateshead attacker Jordan Burrow.

The 25-year-year old joins less than 24 hours after the club brought midfielder Russell Penn back to the club yesterday (8th May).

After being brought through the ranks as a youngster at Chesterfield, the Sheffield born hitman has 71 Football League appearances under his belt, where he has played as high as League One for Stevenage Borough.

In 233 career appearances, Burrow has scored 43 goals including 14 for Gateshead last season, and important efforts that knocked out Championship opposition in Ipswich Town and Blackpool when he played for Stevenage and Morcambe respectively.

Burrow has also made three appearances at national level for England ‘C’ and started up front in Halifax Town’s FA Trophy Final victory at Wembley in 2016.

Expect 100%

Former Preston and Stevenage manager Graham Westley once tipped Burrow to be an ‘outstanding player’, although his career has yet to hit the heights many may have expected.

Burrow’s scoring record has improved year by year though, and he has promised to give the City fans 100% effort from the minute he wears the famous red jersey.

Speaking to YorkMix immediately after signing on the dotted line, the attacked reflected on his reasoning to drop down another league to join the Minstermen.

[arve url=”https://youtu.be/WN7jS08tbAg” mode=”lazyload” title=”Jordan Burrow super strike” /]

He identified the size of the club, the manager’s ambitions and his connection with some first team players already at the club as his main inspirations for signing on the dotted line, saying:

I think fans can definitely expect a full hearted player and i’ll definitely give my all to the club. The fans want someone who can give 100% on the pitch and that’s what they’re going to get from me.

It wasn’t long after the season that Martin showed interest in me and it goes a long way when a manager wants you. He’s outlined his plans for the coming season and it’s something I want to be a part of.

Sean Newton, Hamza Bencherif and Simon Heslop are all players I’ve played with previously, and they’re all good players so that was another factor in making the decision to come.

The size of the club speaks for itself. The fans are demanding, but so they should be.

The ambition of where the club wants to be is definitely what sold it to me, it’s a club that wants to move on and I’ve made no secret that I want to help this club get promoted.

‘We sold him our project’

Martin Gray has made no secret in the past that York City can’t keep relying on the goals of veteran hitman Jon Parkin, and now the manager has moved to rectify that.

In City’s final seven games York managed to find the net just three times in a devastating winless run that ended their playoff chances.

Burrow is someone who Gray has been monitoring closely throughout the 2017/2018 campaign, and he feels that with the right players around him, the striker could be a big hit at Bootham Crescent.

“Fans can expect a real honest player, who doesn’t like to give defenders much time on the ball”, the manager told YorkMix..

“The goals need to be shared out in the team and we feel that with the right service in to the box, he will score plenty of goals for us.

“He’s a big influential player who we have been very fortunate to sign here, as he had many offers from a higher level.

“We sold him our project and what we’re trying to do and I’m really happy he’s signed for York City.

“He’s a number 9, down the middle playing up against centre halves kind of player.

“He’s a big nuisance and a real throwback as centre forwards go, and that’s exactly what this level of football’s about.”