EX-ENGLAND skipper Paul Ince was believed to be lying in wait for York City's Steve Agnew and Kevin Hulme this afternoon as the returning midfield duo looked to boost their match fitness

The Minstermen were heading north for a behind closed-doors friendly with Middlesbrough with Ince, the former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Liverpool ace, expected to take to the field to prove his fitness to under-pressure Boro boss Bryan Robson.

Middlesbrough, anxious to see Ince back in a side that has lost seven matches in a row, were forced to turn to City for help after their reserve game with Liverpool, scheduled for Monday night, was postponed.With City's reserve game with Lincoln City at Bootham Crescent tonight also postponed - the Imps' first team are in action at Cardiff - City boss Terry Dolan said he was only too pleased to help.

"It suits us," said Dolan. "We do not have a reserve game and we have one or two ourselves needing a game."

Most notably, the experienced pairing of Agnew and Hulme will be looking to hand Dolan a selection headache ahead of Saturday's first trip to Kidderminster.

Both were set to feature today as Agnew recovers from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of Sunday's FA Cup tie with Radcliffe Borough and Hulme looks to boost his match fitness after serving a one-match suspension.

Should both come through unscathed, it will leave Dolan with a welcome teaser as to who to leave out in the City engine room on Saturday.All-three midfield players on Sunday - Graham Potter, Scott Jordan and Lee Bullock - scored in the 4-1 triumph.

Also set to feature today was striker Alex Mathie, who is working his way towards full match fitness, Barry Jones, Marc Thompson, Martin Reed and Neville Stamp.

The match with Boro will be Dutch trialist Theo Gunnissen's last chance to impress the City boss as his two-week long trial draws to a close.The midfielder featured in City reserves' 2-1 win over Scunthorpe last week.

However, Dolan was watching the Leeds United reserve encounter with Bradford City at Bootham Crescent that night and was unable to cast his eye over Gunnissen.Ince has been out for four weeks with a knee injury but played for Middlesbrough reserves against Manchester United's second string last week.

Robson had hoped to field Ince in last Saturday's Premiership match with Leicester City but the midfielder failed a fitness test on the morning of the game.T

he rest of the City side is expected to be made up of juniors while Boro could include first-teamers like Robbie Mustoe, transfer-listed Gianluca Festa, Robbie Stockdale, Alun Armstrong and Carlos Marinelli.

The game was set to kick-off at 12pm at Boro's Rockliffe Park training complex, near Darlington.