CASH-CONSCIOUS York City are anticipating a first-team squad of no more than 16 contracted players next season, it emerged today.

The club hope to bolster their numbers with loan signings.

However, starting the season with a 16-man squad marks a significant change to previous campaigns and underlines the cash-constraints now enveloping City.

The last two seasons have seen the Minstermen commence their crusades with a squad of around 25 senior players.

At the start of the 2000-01 season, City had almost 30 players on their books.

Even with the reduced size of the squad, supporters can still expect a summer of new arrivals at Bootham Crescent.

The club's eight out of contract players have not been offered new deals for next leaving manager Terry Dolan with eight senior players currently on his books.

The club's finance director, Terry Doyle, said: "We clearly need to bring some more players in.

"I think it would be unrealistic not to have at least 15 or 16 players on contract.

"There is still the ability, as the club did last season, to bolster it with loan signings.

"That will be an attractive route for clubs at our level."

However, Doyle admits in the current financial climate, with clubs at all levels of the game forced to make cut-backs, the number of players available to sign on loan may be reduced.

Doyle said it was a situation the club would be monitoring closely, with eyes focusing particularly on the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland supremo Bob Murray has pledged to continue the special agreement which enables City to take Black Cat players on loan without having to pay their wages will be maintained.

However, given Sunderland's relegation from the Premiership, manager Mick McCarthy is set to slash the size of his squad meaning there could be fewer Black Cats available to City.

"It may ultimately impact on our thinking," admitted Doyle.

"Sunderland have been absolutely fantastic to us as a club, and the fact they are bringing the first team down to give us a big fund-raising game (on July 16), is greatly appreciated.

"But whether they will have the squad - they had something like five goalkeepers last season - next time around is a testing issue as we go forward."

Despite the uncertainty, Doyle reckons the situation can be viewed as a window of opportunity

He said: "The estimate is that there will be 1,000 players looking for contracts during the summer.

"In my opinion, if you can play at this level and do well there is the potential for moving back up again for the right sort of player with the right sort of commitment and determination to do well. That is the sort of player we want."

Doyle admitted City, losing up to £25,000 per week last season, was facing a testing year money-wise.

However, he said it also provided the club with a 'fantastic' opportunity to create a financially viable long-term future for City and make it a role-model for other clubs.

"We are turning it around but the club has traded at a loss since we took it over and people need to be aware of that," he said.

"We inherited a situation that needed dealing with and what we have got now is the opportunity for remodelling it and taking it forward.

"It will be the model of what a lot of football clubs go forward with."

Updated: 11:39 Friday, May 23, 2003