YORK CITY manager Nigel Worthington envisages the club need to sign as many as a dozen players – and of Football League pedigree – after announcing his retained list.

The Minstermen boss, whose future at the club remains unclear heading into talks with chairman Jason McGill, largely dismantled former chief Gary Mills’ play-off winning squad of 12 months ago – with midfielders Scott Kerr and Paddy McLaughlin among those joining striker Jason Walker in heading for the Bootham Crescent exit.

Worthington offered deals to only five players – skipper Chris Smith, defenders Lanre Oyebanjo, David McGurk, utility player Dan Parslow and midfielder Tom Platt.

Smith and McGurk have been offered one-year deals, while Oyebanjo and Parslow are mulling over two-year contracts. Platt will sign a two-year deal on Friday.

Others released by Worthington are Lee Bullock, Jon Challinor, Chris Doig, Ben Everson, Michael Potts and Jamie Reed.

Ashley Chambers, Tom Allan, Michael Coulson, Jamal Fyfield, Michael Ingham, David McDaid and John McReady are all under contract.

Worthington said: “You have got to keep moving forward. One thing the club is looking to do is to sign more League players if it is going to move forward. It has to take that step – to get that quality into the football club.”

Asked whether the step up from the Conference into League Two had been too big for some of his released players, Worthington added: “Whether it is Conference to League Two, League Two into League One and so on, people don’t realise the size of the step there is. For some it can be a step too far.”

Worthington said his own future at the club had not yet come under discussion – with talks to begin in the next few days.

“We haven’t discussed anything,” he said.

“I will speak to the chairman over the next few days and next week but it is not about my situation.

“It is about how the club is moving forward, with the training ground and all that side of things. I want to see the club moving forward.

“Whether I am in situ, or someone else is, that individual will need as much time as possible to get players on board. We are looking to get other people signed up on contracts to the nine or ten already in house. We are looking for another ten, 11 or 12 players. There is a bit of work to come.”

Worthington continued: “These decisions are being done for the right reasons, to make things better and to begin to bring in the players you want within the framework of the budget you are going to work with.

“People have got to bear in mind that, although there is a reasonable budget there, York City isn’t the wealthiest club in the world.

“It’s a fine balance and you have got to get the maximum out of it.”
 

City players...

Offered deals: David McGurk, Lanre Oyebanjo, Dan Parslow, Tom Platt, Chris Smith, Chris Dickinson, Mike Atkinson.

Under contract: Tom Allan, Ashley Chambers, Michael Coulson, Jamal Fyfield, Michael Ingham, David McDaid, John McReady.

Released: Lee Bullock, Jon Challinor, Chris Doig, Ben Everson, Scott Kerr, Paddy McLaughlin, Michael Potts, Jamie Reed, Jason Walker.

Others: Matty Blair.