Another era begins as newly-appointed manager Gary Mills and his assistant Darron Gee take charge for the first time against Bath City at Bootham Crescent this weekend. The Minstermen’s latest managerial team were recruited from Tamworth this week and immediately charged with steering their new club back on track after a run of three successive defeats. But they will be coming up against an in-form striker as Bath’s Kaid Mohamed has scored in each of his last five games whilst playing just in behind one-time York target Lee Phillips. That run has brought his side seven points out of their last nine and helped them recently escape the relegation zone and move ever-closer to their hosts in the table.
Vital Quotes:
“It`s a fresh start for all the players and I think they will enjoy working with and learning from me,” York manager Gary Mills told The Press. “If they are not good enough, I can`t do anything about that but, if they are and are not making the most of their ability, that`s a problem. I think there are some good players here and we have got to get the best out of them. You need to make players realise what they can achieve. I want every player to be the best they possibly can and they should all want that too. I want them to reach their maximum for this club and themselves.”
“We are playing some good football,” Bath assistant manager Lee Howells told BBC Bristol. “It’s the next step for us. It’s like a jigsaw and we’re starting to get a few players back, but we still have some quality players injured. Bit by bit we know what we want to do and know where we want to get to. It’s another step until we can get a certain amount of points before we can relax, and we know we are good enough for it.”
York City Team News:
York’s new boss Gary Mills has already said that every member of his squad will be given an equal opportunity, which will come as good news to the likes of Duane Courtney and Jonathan Smith, both of whom have struggled to make much of an impression after arriving over the summer. There could be an immediate change of formation as Mills has used a 4-3-3 approach at Tamworth so far this season. Whether that will include leading scorer Michael Rankine still remains open to doubt after missing the last couple of games with an ankle problem. Meanwhile, Levi Mackin, Chris Carruthers and George Purcell are still out.
York City (from): Ingham, Parslow, McGurk, Young, Meredith, Lawless, Racchi, Barrett, Fyfield, Constantine, Beesley, Dowson, Knight, Courtney, Smith, Till, Gash, Dowson, Sangare, Rankine
Player to watch: Michael Gash
Will need to start adding goals on a regular basis to his obvious quality.
Bath City Team News:
Bath will still be without sidelined trio Luke Ruddick, Lewis Hogg and Joe Burnell, while Adam Connolly could return at the expense of Adie Harris. Veteran ex-Bristol City midfielder Scott Murray resumed on the bench for their recent game against Eastbourne Borough, and Gethin Jones has also recovered from a hamstring problem. Hector Mackie will probably be named amongst their substitutes after returning.
Bath City (probable): Robinson, Simpson, Rollo, Webb, Jombati, Watkins, Russell, Harris, Canham, Mohamed, Phillips
Player to watch: Kaid Mohamed
The former Torquay United striker will be looking to score for the sixth successive game.
Match Facts & Stats
The clubs have never met before. York have taken no points out of their last available nine while improving Bath have collected seven.
Next Fixtures:
FA Cup fourth qualifying round: York – Kidderminster (A); Bath – Swindon Supermarine (A)
