IRISH under-21 pair Patrick McLaughlin and Lanre Oyebanjo have returned from international duty unscathed ahead of York City’s Blue Square Bet Premier curtain-raiser at Ebbsfleet tomorrow (3pm).

The duo are both available for selection after Oyebanjo played the second half of the Republic’s 2-1 home win over Austria on Tuesday night and McLaughlin completed a full 90 minutes during Northern Ireland’s 4-0 triumph over the Faroe Islands in Belfast on the following evening.

Non-contract midfielder David McDermott remains the only injury absentee for City, leaving Mills with an 18-man squad to choose from for the Stonebridge Road clash.

The City chief said: “Lanre played on Tuesday so we got him back before Patrick, but they’ve both come back fine fitness-wise and both won their games.

“Everybody’s fit and raring to go other than David McDermott and they’re all waiting to see what the starting XI is and whether they are in it.

“I know what my team is and who the subs will be and the players will be told today so they know what their jobs are.”

Mills believes his side are now ready to fulfil his expectations and those of the club’s fans and other pundits, who are tipping the Minstermen for success this term.

He said: “We’ve worked hard in pre-season.

“We’ve eaten, drunk and trained together and it’s been a long six weeks, but it’s been an important six weeks and now we are ready.

“I’m feeling positive, optimistic and confident we can go and achieve something.

“I know every manager will be saying they want to do well but I’m just trying to be honest about our chances.

“I feel we can achieve anything we want to do and everything that’s possible. We need to do all the things it takes to be winners from now until the end of the season in May.

“That means the players listening and going about their jobs correctly. We also need to stay positive, retain our desire and hunger and not let our heads drop when things don’t go our way.”

Despite his unbounding optimism, Mills is not under-estimating tomorrow’s hosts, who won last season’s Blue Square South play-off final to return to the highest echelon of non-League football after being relegation the previous season.

He added: “It’s a tough start because it’s never easy going to a team that’s been promoted. They’ll be on a high and out to prove something.

“I know how Liam Daish’s teams play too and we will have to do the horrible stuff some footballers don’t like because we have to make sure we have more of the ball than them. We’ll need to be mentally strong going there and I believe we are.”

Meanwhile, Bootham Crescent legend Alf Patrick’s 90th birthday will be marked by a York City Past Players’ dinner on Friday, October 28.

Patrick, pictured, who is the club’s oldest surviving player, was the first to score 100 goals for the Minstermen and remains fourth on the all-time list behind fellow greats Norman Wilkinson, Keith Walwyn and Arthur Bottom.

The event will take place at Pike Hills Golf Club with the cost £25 per ticket for a 7.30pm start.

Patrick, who played for City from 1946-1952, is now registered blind and any profits from the night will be shared between the York Talking Newspaper and Help the Heroes.

It is hoped that City’s 1950s’ golden boy Colin Addison, who went on to famously manage Hereford, West Brom and Atletico Madrid, will pay a tribute to Patrick on the evening and share old stories with former team-mates.

Any former players or City supporters interested in attending should email Graham Bradbury at gram.bradbury@virgin.net or phone 01904 708330 or 07790 470589.