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But what has made Walker succeed this year? He has never had a more prolific start to a season in his career and has now surpassed his highest ever goal tally for a campaign, despite only being at the start of November. This is somewhat surprising given his natural ability and eye for goal, but when his technique is analysed a little further it would seem as though Walker and York City are made for each other, and that is why he has been so successful at Bootham Crescent so far.
Gary Mills’ football philosophy dictates a passing game that incorporates two wingers and midfielders who keep hold of the ball and dictate the play. They are in no way a kick and rush team. However for that to work you have to have a centre forward who is prepared to come and find the ball rather than relying on a constant stream of service. Aside from the clinical finishing dimension of his game, Walker’s greatest asset is his ability to drop away from the opposition’s back four and pick the ball up. This proves to make him probably the most difficult player to mark in the Blue Square Bet Premier League and allows him to receive the ball in places where he has time to either pick a pass or turn and run at the back four.
I’ve already alluded to the fact that Walker is prolific in front of goal, and there is no doubt that he does indeed have a natural goal-scorers eye. His acrobatic effort in York’s recent game against Grimsby has become something of a YouTube hit and it shows that Walker could be someone who could play at a higher level within English football. It would also seem that his talent has not gone unnoticed, with most notably Sheffield Wednesday appearing keen to acquire his services when January comes around.
Yet would Walker succeed higher up the leagues at this stage of his career? The problem is that playing against defences in Non League Football is very different to playing against defences in League 2 or League 1. The likelihood is that Walker wouldn’t be able to adopt the role that he plays for York City in at a club higher up the football ladder because he would be much more tightly marked by more experienced defenders and defensive midfielders.
There’s no saying that Walker wouldn’t have the ability to change his game slightly with the right type of coaching, but he seems to be onto a winner with York City, and perhaps he needs the club just as much as the club needs him. Whatever happens, he is City’s player until January and if all goes to plan, both Walker and York City will be playing in League 2 next year.
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