Duane waits and hopes

Duane Courtney could still face his former club this weekend after manager Martin Foyle refused to rule him out for the season opener against Kidderminster Harriers at Bootham Crescent.

The 25-year-old defender has had limited action since joining the Minstermen over the summer, with a knee problem restricting his to just three rather truncated appearances during pre-season.

But it would appear that Birmingham-born full-back still has a decent chance of being involved at some level against Steve Burr’s revamped Kidderminster side.

“Duane has been training fantastic this week and I`m not ruling him out, but I will have no problems playing somebody else there, as we have players who can double up in positions,” Foyle told The Press.

“Alex [Lawless] has played there virtually all his career and Dan Parslow has filled in well there in the past.”

Otherwise, recent centre-back recruit from Altrincham, Greg Young, is unlikely to be risked as his progress has also been cruelly checked by a bruised foot.

“Greg`s done a fair bit of running this week and, despite having a gashed head, he`s been heading the ball away when we`ve been practising set-pieces in training,” Foyle added. “He`s certainly not one of the soft ones.”