York City caretaker boss Viv Busby is considering a change of formation ahead of Saturday's trip to Stevenage Borough (3pm).

Busby is hoping to improve a defensive record that has seen his side ship 16 goals in their last five matches and looks set to make a tactical switch.

City's acting manager did not reveal the identity of any potential new system although the in-vogue 4-5-1 formation that has been used to stifle fellow Premiership clubs by the likes of Everton and Bolton Wanderers this season might be an option.

Such a move could mean a recall for player-coach Lee Nogan in a withdrawn role behind a lone front man with either Andy Bishop or Paul Robinson dropping to the bench.

Busby said: "I expect the squad to be the same as our last match although one or two might get left out. Being away from home, we have got to try to get a clean sheet. We've been working on that in training and might change formation.

"Stevenage have been doing all right and the manager has spent a lot of money to get some good players. We know their strengths. They are a big side but we have beaten them once this season and should take a lot of heart from that."

Busby will continue looking for new players next week, his New Year search having so far proved fruitless.

City's caretaker boss, who had been in touch with Leeds about possible transfer targets playing for their reserves, will now take in "four or five" reserves matches next week to check on potential new recruits.

He explained: "I made a couple of calls but the lads we were interested in are not going to be right at this moment.

We'll have another look at them next week. They're young lads who have been off at Christmas and they're short on match practice so there's no point us bringing anyone in if they're not fully fit."

Busby, who has been given permission by the board to bring in two new signings, confirmed he does not need to make room on the wage bill first.

"We don't have to let anybody go at the minute and I can't see any point in doing that," he said.

"The board have been good enough to let me get a couple in and have agreed to sort the finances out even though I don't know how they will do it.

"There were a couple of players I was interested in at Leeds but they have since gone to clubs at higher levels. There's still one or two that might be of interest though."

Busby attended Wednesday's Leeds v Middlesbrough reserve match at Wakefield and also asked his ex-City player Malcolm Crosby, now reserve team coach at the Riverside, about the possibility of taking a player on loan, but injuries at the Premiership club have ruled out that possibility.

Conference rules stipulate that clubs are permitted two short-term and two long-term loan signings at any one time. Doncaster defender Jon Maloney is currently at Bootham Crescent for a month and Aston Villa have agreed to loan out centre-back Lee Grant until the end of the season.

Squads:

Stevenage v City

Nationwide Conference

(at Broadhall Way)

York City (probable): Porter, Staley, Groves, Maloney, Smith, Donovan, Dunning, Nogan, Webster, Merris, Bishop. Subs: Stockdale, Paul Robinson, Paul D Robinson, Law, Grant.

Stevenage Borough (probable): Woodman, Rogers, Goodliffe, Quinn, Gregory, Brady, Bulman, Weatherstone, Boyd, Quailey, Elding. Subs: Hunter, Warner, Hocking, Farrow, Laker.

Referee: Simon Beck (Essex).

Kick-off: 3pm

Updated: 11:05 Friday, January 07, 2005