YORK City have signed Blackpool goalkeeper Kyle Letheren following Scott Flinders’ club suspension and five-match playing ban.

Flinders has been found guilty of racial abuse for an incident in last season’s Sky Bet League Two clash at AFC Wimbledon, although he does have the right to appeal against the decision.

Following an error-prone start to the season, Flinders was replaced in goal for last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Forest Green by summer signing Luke Simpson.

Ex-Accrington net-minder Simpson is now expected to retain the gloves at home to Woking on Saturday, with Letheren placed on bench duty.

The new 6ft 2in recruit began his career at Swansea in 2003 before spending spells at Newport, Barnsley, Doncaster and Plymouth.

He went on to join Kilmarnock in 2010, but the ex-Wales under-21 international only made a handful of appearances, before moving to Dundee, where he was first-choice, shot-stopper during the Dark Blues’ Scottish Championship title-winning campaign of 2013/14.

Letheren also played in the SPL before signing a two-year deal with Blackpool in July 2015.

On the Llanelli-born shot-stopper’s arrival, McNamara said: “At 28, he’s experienced and somebody we’ve looked at before. Hopefully, he can come in and do well for us.

“One of the youth-team keepers is injured at the moment and the other isn’t ready yet, so it was important to get another one in quickly.”

McNamara revealed, meanwhile, that City are waiting on an FA report regarding Flinders’ misconduct charge before deciding if any further action should be taken outside of his club suspension, which currently carries no timescale.

The City chief said: “This is something we’ve known has been coming for a while and it’s been playing on the minds of people. I think it’s been weighing on his mind and it was building up in the two games before I took him out of the team.

“It’s something that has been held over from last season and I’d have preferred for it to be dealt with then, so you can make decisions. That it’s taken so long has been frustrating for Scott and the club, but the FA makes the rules and we have to abide by them.

“We’ve got to see what comes back from the FA now and take things from there by sitting down and going through it with him.”

McNamara went on to admit that the Woking game was an “important” one for himself to demonstrate that the Gateshead debacle was a blip and the unlucky Forest Green defeat was more indicative of his squad’s ability.

“Woking are very direct, so it is important we are switched on at the back and use the ball properly in midfield,” he reasoned. “It’s an important game for all of us – myself and the players.

“We’re unbeaten at home and should have won both games without playing anywhere near our best. I want to now show our fans how we played for large spells at Forest Green.

“Our keeper only touched the ball five times in the first half and I was pleased with the response I got after Gateshead. If we keep playing like that, we will do well.”