RECALLED pair Leigh Wood and Chris Smith have been told to carry on proving their "mental toughness" and help York City avoid relegation.

City manager Chris Brass recently dropped both players from his first-team squad but was pleased with their responses in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw against Bury and has emphasised that they will stay in the side until the end of the season if those standards are maintained.

Wood, 20, played in between Brass and assistant manager Lee Nogan in a new-look midfield that supplied the ammunition to an also previously untried front-line of Liam George and Jon Newby.

Depending on the fitness of Stuart Wise and an eye injury to Brass, the City boss is expected to field the same side against Cheltenham tomorrow, which would also mean Smith, 22, again assuming the responsibility of playing in the centre of City's three-man defence.

Brass said: "Leigh and Chris have both got to realise they are at an age when, at times, they do have to take a look from the outside before coming back in. Having said that, I have always maintained that if you are playing well enough, nobody will come out of the side.

"They both gave good performances against Bury and deserve to keep their shirts but they still have a lot to learn and, as long as they continue to do so and get the mental toughness that's required, they have a good chance of going on to bigger and better things.

"It's the mental toughness that's the difference between the crem de la crem and your lower-level players."

Wood played his first game in midfield since returning from a shoulder problem against Bury after spells in defence and at wing-back.

Brass believes that the Selby-born youngster can make a bigger impression in that role, saying: "I think the fact that myself and Lee (Nogan) were in there obviously helped him but he's very comfortable on the ball and somebody who could have an even bigger influence on a game. Hopefully, as he gets more experience, he will be able to do that because, ability wise, he's as good as anybody at the club."

Brass is expected to be fit to face Cheltenham despite nasty bruising to his eye but could be required in defence if Wise fails to recover from a calf problem, meaning Mitch Ward would then probably start alongside Wood.

Cheltenham, like Bury, have no promotion hopes or relegation fears but Brass is not expecting an easy ride from the Robins and believes it is up to his side to make the opposition's position of safety work in their favour.

With Carlisle's resurgence, several Third Division managers are now revising their safety targets to 51 points, which would mean City requiring two wins and two draws from their remaining five matches.

But Brass has not set his side a points tally and just emphasised the need to try to win every game.

He said: "What we are aiming for is 15 more points. The situation is still in our own hands because of the game in hand and when we play like we did against Bury we are a match for anybody."

Squads

York City: Probable: Ovendale, Wise, Smith, Hope, Edmondson, Brass, Wood, Nogan, Dunning, George, Newby. Subs: Porter, Cooper, Ward, Bell, Law.

Cheltenham: Probable: Higgs, Victory, Michael Duff, Shane Duff, Wilson, Fyfe, McCann, Forsyth, Finnigan, Devaney, Spencer. Subs: Book, Brayson, Bird, Odejayi, Gill, Cleverley.

- The Robins boast a 100 per cent record at Bootham Crescent having won on their three League visits here.

- In December 1999 they triumphed 2-1 and the following season were successful 2-0. In both games former City and Rowntree Mackintosh striker Neil Grayson was on the scoresheet.

- The clubs last met at York in December 15, 2001, when Town won 3-1. Lee Bullock netted the consolation goal and City's line-up was: Fettis, Edmondson, Basham (Hocking), Smith, Maley (Duffield), Cooper, Brass, Richardson (O'Kane), Potter, Bullock, Proctor.

- Along with Grayson, others to represent both clubs include Mark Sertori and Sam McNab with manager John Ward providing the other link.

Statistics by David Batters

Updated: 10:56 Friday, April 16, 2004