Left-winger Bryan Stewart could be on his way to earning a contract for next season after being described as 'my type of player' by manager Billy McEwan.

The City boss, renowned for nurturing up-and-coming talent, praised the third-year trainee after an impressive performance against Dagenham.

Stewart drilled a succession of dangerous low crosses into the box in his first start since November 6 having been kept out by injury, illness and off-pitch set-backs.

McEwan said: "I love working with young players and giving them an opportunity.

"I have not seen a lot of him in games because he has missed a lot of football for one reason or another.

"But he did well and showed me that he is my type of player. He's a footballer, he can create things and he put some lovely balls across the goal but we just couldn't get on the end of them.

"He excites the fans and he excites me and he's still only a kid learning what the game's about."

A lack of match fitness seemed to tell as he disappeared from the game. But an inspired move by McEwan to switch him to the right wing with 30 minutes remaining changed the entire tempo of the game as he continually cut inside the defence to carve out attacking options.

McEwan added: "He did find it difficult at times, especially in the first 15 minutes of the second half as the tempo increased, so I switched him over to my side of the pitch, and I talked him through the game. He looks not a bad prospect."

But on-loan Ben Jackson failed to make a similar impact after coming on and missing two chances that would have almost certainly guaranteed a York win.

Said McEwan: "I feel a bit sorry for the kid, he just couldn't get into it. He was knocking goals in for fun at Doncaster and that was why we wanted to get a look at him.

"He's suffering from a wee bit of confidence when on another day, they will go in with his eyes shut."

McEwan's verdict on the result was a vast improvement from Tuesday's 6-0 thrashing at Carlisle.

He said: "It was a 100 per cent difference.

"There were a lot of encouraging things out there today and we have to take that with us to Canvey Island."

Updated: 10:53 Monday, April 18, 2005