YORK City assistant manager Lee Nogan has welcomed the competition for attacking places at Bootham Crescent this season even if it means he starts the new Conference campaign on the sidelines.

Nogan, 35, was a virtual automatic choice last season, playing 42 games for the Minstermen, but the player-coach believes, like manager Chris Brass, that he now faces stronger opposition for a starting place.

The former Reading and Watford striker, who topped City's scoring charts with nine goals last season, will be competing with new signings Andy Bishop and Paul Robinson, as well as Turkish youth international Lev Yalcin, and he said: "The competition for places is good.

"I still want to play as I have always said but whoever does start at Aldershot in a week's time will be there on merit.

"Obviously, I have not got the games in during the pre-season I would have liked especially after the Newcastle match was cancelled and the same applies to Chris, as he has had a bit of an injury, but the fans and Chris know what I can do.

"It was more important that we had a look at the new players and the more they play together the better they will be."

The pre-season indications suggest that Bishop and Robinson are likely to line up together at the Recreation Ground in seven days' time but Nogan feels, if that is the case, then himself and promising teenager Yalcin must work hard to take their chance when it comes.

About his rivals for a place in City's front-line, Nogan said: "They have all got their own different styles of play. Robbo is lively around the box and I think he can get goals but he will be the first one we will be on to about retaining possession.

"Andy Bishop has come in and done well. He's young and he's only going to improve.

"Lev Yalcin has missed a lot of football in the last two years but I thought he had a great 20 minutes when he came on against Leeds and he's another plus for us. He can get his head down now because he's staying here, work hard and, like myself, try and get in the team if we are not selected next weekend.

"Whoever is in the team knows if they are not producing then there's other lads who can come in. There's also a lot of games and we don't want people burning themselves out.

"The two players who start might get 70 minutes and then two sets of fresh legs can come on, which is a good position to be in especially in the Conference."

Nogan also feels that, despite dropping down a division, the squad City have assembled this summer is stronger than last season's version, saying: "We are very pleased with the amount of bodies we have brought in and think the younger lads will benefit from having the experienced players around. We have got a small squad but I think the quality is better.

"We thought it might be more difficult to entice players having gone out of the League. A lot want to stay in the Football League, like myself and Chris do, but I think they know what we are trying to achieve here.

"I don't want to be disrespectful to the lads here last year but I feel we have a much better squad and we will be very disappointed if we are not knocking on the door.

"We won't be intimidated by anyone and will just play our game, work hard and the results will come.

"If it does not happen early doors, we won't panic. We want a good start but we had that last season when we won our first four games and look what happened.

"As long as we are improving like we have been I can't see us having too many problems."

Updated: 09:59 Saturday, August 07, 2004