Jim Bentley hopes new Fylde star Mark Cullen will shine against York

The 29-year-old marked his full debut by opening the scoring, then winning the penalty to seal the Coasters’ 2-0 win at Blyth Spartans on Saturday.

After three defeats in their previous four National League North games had heaped pressure on Bentley, he feels Cullen’s arrival has played a massive part in restoring the “feelgood factor” around the promotion-chasing club.

Ahead of what will surely be the striker’s first home start tonight against the Minstermen, Bentley said: “Mark Cullen was star man for me. He’s not a big, tall centre-forward but the timing of his leap is excellent. He puts defenders under pressure and has that know-how to get up and flick things on.

“It’s what we’ve been crying out for and hopefully he goes from strength to strength.

“For the penalty, Cullers was fantastic to hunt it down, smell the mistake from the defender to draw the foul. We have been due a penalty and at 2-0 we’re home and dry.”

Cullen, goalscoring hero of Blackpool’s 2017 League Two play-off triumph during his four-year stay at Bloomfield Road, is delighted with his start back with a Fylde coast club, especially as that full debut came in his native Northumberland.

“ I’m absolutely over the moon,” he said. “This is why I’ve been brought in and maybe they have been missing a player in that sort of role.

“It was a great ball in for the goal (by Dan Pike) and I’m happy to get off the mark.

“Some of my mates have not been able to see me play for years, so it’s nice to come back and to get three points.

“As a group we want to win every game, so we were disappointed after my first game against Darlington (he was a substitute in the 2-1 home defeat last Tuesday), but you have to dust yourself off because the games come thick and fast.

“I just want to play, to score and to win and hopefully we will against York.”

The new boy wasn’t the only one to impress Bentley at Blyth. He added: “All the things I’ve asked of the players they have brought to the table and that’s pleasing.

“I was also pleased for (Cullen’s fellow frontman) Jorome Slew, who worked hard too with plenty of runs down the channels and asked questions”.

Mid-table York are on a five-match winning run and will be looking to exploit Fylde’s recent frailties at home.

After an 18-match unbeaten run at Mill Farm which spanned 21 months, fourth-placed Fylde have lost four of their last five on home turf. A win tonight would move them within three points of Kidderminster Harriers in third.

Bentley said: “York are one of the fancied sides, like ourselves. They haven’t had the season they would want but they have good players and it will be tough.

“After a long unbeaten run at home we’ve lost a couple on the spin and it can happen to anyone – it happened to Liverpool.

“Confidence can be dented and the opposition will always wait for your momentum to dip to put the boot in.

“But we need to take the positives and the feelgood factor out of Saturday.”

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