York City boss Martin Gray has promised to fully rebuild the playing side of the club following the woeful failings of the current season.
The Minstermen still have a very outside chance of making the play-offs, but it’s little more than that and could all end this evening anyway when play-off rivals Spennymoor Town host bottom-of-the-table North Ferriby United.
Indeed York will more likely find themselves with only a disastrous mid-table finish in their first-ever season at the sixth tier of the game.
“The club needs to change and rebuild from the ground again,” Gray admitted to BBC Radio York. “It’s been the toughest season that I’ve had as a manager. But you learn more about people when things haven’t gone so well. You need to have the taste of this to be successful – and I like success.
“We’ve got to give our fans something to really hold onto. And I plan to bring a group of players in and have a fantastic changing room, making sure we have honesty and players giving everything. Every player that we’re looking to bring in, we’ve got to go to real fine detail of what that player’s about.
“Recruitment is key,” he stressed. “I’d like to bring in a naturally left-footed centre-half just to give a balance. That’s just one thing that we’ve talked about from a recruiting point of view.
“We know the main priority is goals. You need two forwards that’s going to get you to the twenty-mark and everybody else contributing. Equally we’ve got to have a strong defence. We’ve got to be the fittest team next year, the most honest and with the best changing room.”
Meanwhile, ahead of this weekend, striker Alex Kempster has been declared as available as York finally wrap-up their dreadful season at already confirmed as in the play-offs Brackley Town.
“Kempster is fit, so that’s a plus,” Gray added. “I thought Sean Newton was magnificent up front in the last home game, so hopefully those two will lead the line for us. Beyond that, Jon’s [Parkin] where he is still and I think you’re looking now towards pre-season. ”
