YORK City pair Ben Gibson and Jamal Fyfield have added to the growing injury list at Bootham Crescent.
Both Gibson and Fyfield turned ankles during Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Southport and neither player has travelled to bottom-of-the-table Bath for tonight’s Blue Square Bet Premier encounter.
Joint top scorer Jason Walker remains sidelined due to his troublesome hamstring, along with midfield talisman Scott Kerr, who will miss the rest of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury.
David McGurk, who has not featured since New Year’s Day, is unlikely to play any part either, having only just returned to training following a throat operation and a knee injury.
Play-off-chasing City are also still waiting to receive international clearance for new signing Eugen Bopp, which means Mills could be without six men for their Somerset test.
With a 26-strong squad, though, the City chief is confident his team can cope with the absentees.
He said: “Ben Gibson and Jamal Fyfield both turned their ankles on Saturday but that’s the reason why we have the size of squad we do at the moment because these things happen. We’ve got the squad to cover injuries even in similar positions, as is the case with losing Gibbo and Jamal.
“Gibbo will be having an x-ray on his injury but Jamal might be okay for Friday’s game at Luton. I’m disappointed to lose them and they will both be missed.
“Jamal has put in a good level of performance since he came back into the side and I rate Gibbo highly. I thought he did well for us in midfield on Saturday.
“Their injuries mean others will get a chance and every player knows they could be called upon at any time. They all know the prizes available at the end of the season.
“Everybody has to be fully focused for the next four-and-a-half weeks to make sure we have a reward for how hard we have worked since July 1.”
On McGurk and Bopp, Mills added: “Dave McGurk’s problem is a lack of match fitness. It’s not too much of an issue because he’s a fit lad but it’s not ideal either because every professional sportsman needs game time.”
With Gibson and Fyfield both ruled out, the City boss will also decide whether to restore James Meredith to left-back or hand Sheffield United loanee Erik Tonne his league debut in the role.
Said Mills: “Left-back is James Meredith’s position so I wouldn’t have a problem putting him back there other than that he’s been influential for us in midfield by winning a lot of second balls and driving us forward.
“He’s enjoyed it in there too. Maybe my only other option in that respect could be playing Erik Tonne at left-back, who did a decent job there in the North Riding Senior Cup.”
This evening’s hosts are anchored to the Blue Square Bet Premier basement 11 points from safety with seven games left to play but Mills insisted his team must approach the game with the correct mental attitude.
He said: “They are a team fighting for their lives and we are going to a ground where the surroundings are not the best and the pitch will be hard and bobbly so getting our mindset right will be the most important thing. We know a win will put us back in the play-offs so there can be no bigger incentive.
“We are sitting outside the top five because we have got ourselves to Wembley in the Trophy and I would not swap that situation. If we win our games in hand, we don’t just scrape back into the play-offs, we go third and I know we are good enough to do that.”
Tonight’s game is the first of three long treks in eight days with games at Luton on Friday and Newport in seven days.
Mills added his gratitude for the board sanctioning hotel stays during that schedule.
“We will have overnight stays before all three games, which is great because we will be living in each other’s pockets, spending time together as a team and concentrating on nothing else other than doing our jobs,” the Minstermen chief pointed out.
“I have to thank my chairman for allowing us to prepare properly and there can be no excuses from the players or myself on that side of things.
“At Tamworth, there were times when we would sit on buses for four hours, skip our pre-match meals and then try to win a game of football.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel