FORMER Huddersfield and Bury striker Ian Lawson will finally team up with York City today - a fortnight after it was revealed he would be joining the Minstermen on trial.

The hopes of player-management duo Chris Brass and Lee Nogan to bring in the talented goal-scorer earlier to assess him during the pre-season friendlies had been thwarted by 25-year-old Lawson's on-going row with his Gigg Lane bosses.

However, Lawson reached a settlement at the end of last week to severe his contact with the Shakers and will now team up with City at training today with a view to playing in the friendly against Livingston on Thursday.

The arrival of the powerful hit-man, who netted 18 goals in 55 appearances during two spells at Bury, is sure to come as a boost for a City faithful concerned over the lack of an obvious goal-scoring threat to spearhead their challenge this season.

In the club's three pre-season games so far, the Minstermen have netted three times, with midfielder Christian Fox netting from the spot against Leeds and defensive duo Stuart Wise and Sean Davies scoring with headers in Saturday's 2-0 win over Scarborough.

And although Liam George and Arron Wilford have joined to bolster the front-line of Jon Parkin and Nogan, none of them have a pedigree that suggests that they will be capable of firing City to success.

"Ian is coming to train with us today and we will see where that will take," said Brass. "We tried to get him earlier, but the stumbling block was that he needed to sort things organised at Bury.

"He will train with us this week and hopefully feature in the game on Thursday. He is a goalscorer, so lets hope he is hungry when he comes and takes his chance.

Lawson is unlikely to be the only new face for the Livingston match, with Brass hinting that he is ready to add to his small squad with a few more players. That could see City try out their sixth goalkeeper of the season, following David Stockdale, Marlon Beresford, Steve Croudson, Craig Turns and David Porter.

"We can't give anything away at the moment, but are happy with who we have got at the moment and if we can add one or two to that we will have a decent squad that is young and willing to learn," said Brass. "Wherever that takes, lets hope its a rosy future for York City.

"There possibly could be some new faces for Livingston. We will sit down and talk with people again. Everyone who has come in have not been for ridiculous amounts of money - they want to be here at this football club playing.

"It is a pleasure when I've people like that working for me. With everyone of them that has signed, there was no quarms, no questions, they accepted what we were allowed to give them and because of that we will hopefully be able to bring in more bodies."

He added: "We are in talks with a number of keepers. "It is a position we are looking for although the two keepers we've in now (Porter and Turns) have well for themselves and have given me a decision to make."

One player who looks like returning to North Yorkshire, is Phil Whitehead, but the former Reading No1 is set for Scarborough and not York.

Whitehead, who appeared as an emergency loan signing for City last season when Michael Ingham suffered an injury, is poised to train with the Seadogs this week with a view to play against Hull on Wednesday.

City boss Brass has released trialist duo Fabian Bossy and Stephen Capper after short spells at Bootham Crescent.

Bossy, who put in an assured display after coming on against Leeds United, misses out on a chance of a contract following the arrival of Mitch Ward.

Meanwhile, Eire Under-21s wide-man Capper has been given the chance to pursue options elsewhere after failing to work his way into Brass' plans. The former Sunderland trainee, who was released from the Stadium of Light in close season, has also being playing and training with Scunthorpe as he looks to secure a deal.

Updated: 11:13 Monday, July 28, 2003