Out-of-favour York City goalkeeper Mark Ovendale is positive he can get back to being number one.

The 30-year-old, who has been Chris Brass' first-choice custodian for most of the season, was dropped for the Torquay game with Chris Porter coming in.

But now he is over the initial shock, he is determined to get back.

He said: "It's not the easiest time. When you're a bit down or when you've been dropped it's not nice for anybody but you've just got to try to pick yourself up and really you can't sulk about it.

"You've got to try to show a good attitude and hope that you have a good game in the reserves to say well look, I might have been dropped but hopefully I can play well enough for you not to forget that I'm still there and can still put a bit of pressure on.

"It's disappointing but that's football - not everybody can play."

And Ovendale, who was on top form yesterday to keep out Doncaster Rovers' front-men Ade Akinfenwa and Greg Blundell for the reserves at Bootham Crescent, has laughed off whisperings of early retirement from the fans' rumour mill.

He said: "If I had the money of David Beckham, if I won the Lottery, I still don't think I'd want to retire. No matter how bad things go in football, at the end of the day that's all it is.

"There's more things in life to go worrying about than not playing in the first team.

"It's disappointing but I've done all that - I've sulked, I've been a baby and chucked my dummy out the pram about not playing, but there's more to life and now I'm just going to work hard and hopefully get back in the team and if not, at least I know I've not let myself down or anybody else down.

"I don't really know what it will take to get back in. Hopefully, I can put in some decent performances in the reserves. I wouldn't want to see 'Ports' have a bad game because I get on well with him. If the gaffer picks me he picks me, if he doesn't, then I can't do anything more as long as I just try to keep a decent standard."

Porter, his former understudy, publicly thanked Ovendale for his help when he was given the first-team jersey but Ovendale said it was the natural thing to do.

"We said to each other before the start of the season that it's a squad thing," he said. "At the minute, I'm playing, but there might come a time when you get the nod and this is that time now. He's a really nice lad and I think he'd have done the same.

"I wished him all the best. He's a good 'keeper and at least it shows to him that the gaffer has got the confidence he can do a job in the Football League. It's nice for him and I hope he does well but obviously I don't like not playing. It's a difficult one.

"In an ideal world we would both play. I was going to see if I could play up front as a target-man but I think I'll stick to goalkeeping - I don't think my legs would take it."

He added: "I appreciate the support I've had from the fans but hopefully they can get behind the team on Saturday. After four games we were top and now we find ourselves 19th or 20th. It would be nice for them to get behind us and - it's a horrible thing to say but - beat the drop, which I think we will do but we've got Bristol Rovers, Macclesfield and Cambridge and they are massive games now."

Updated: 10:43 Thursday, March 25, 2004