Scarborough are hopeful goal plunderer and former York City trainee Chris Tate will stay with the club after initially turning down a new contract offer.

Tate scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Carlisle United on Easter Monday and has hit eight goals in his last nine starts.

But so far the contract rebel, who will be a free agent in the summer, has refused to sign Boro's offer of a new deal.

And after Monday's game when he had collected the match ball, Tate refused to be drawn on the matter, other than to say: "I am happy to play for Scarborough until the end of the season and we will take it from there."

But now new Boro boss Colin Addison believes the young striker will put pen to paper on a new deal sooner rather than later.Talks are expected to continue over the weekend.

Reborn Boro travel to Barnet tomorrow for a another "cup final" in their bid to escape the drop after a rewarding Easter.

Boro garnered four points from a possible six from their relegation rivals, Carlisle and Hull City, and are now one point clear of Hartlepool in the drop zone having played a game less.

"To get off the bottom of the bottom of the league was a tremendous psychological boost to the players because we have been playing catch-up for so long, but we have eight more cup finals before we can relax," said Addison.

A virus swept the club last week, which ruled out Wayne Bullimore, Steve Brodie, Matthew Russell, Michael McNaughton and Ian Milbourne.

Although all have now recovered, Bullimore and Milbourne have not travelled and the only likely change to Monday's team will be the return of top-scorer Brodie to midfield.

Squad: Parks, Carr, Rennison, Hoyland, McAuley, G Atkinson, Brodie, Jones, Porter, Tate, Roberts, P Atkinson, Saville, Robinson, Russell, McNaughton.

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