Big-pockets Blackburn Rovers are homing in on York City's Martin Garratt as their interest fades in England Under-21 star Seth Johnson.

Sharp bramble: Ipswich star Titus Bramble, left, who will be up against City in the FA Youth Cup tonight, takes on Sheffield United skipper Nicky Marker in the East Anglian club's 2-1 win at Bramall Lane last month

Crewe's Johnson was originally targeted by the Premiership club, who were seeking a young left-sided midfield man.

Birmingham-born Johnson was bracketed in a three-way Rovers' recruiting drive that also included Matt Jansen from Crystal Palace, and Liverpool's Jason McAteer. Jansen joined for £4million though McAteer demurred.

But despite their position at the foot of the Nationwide First Division Crewe are reluctant to part with Johnson, even if they were to realise their valuation of £2million. It is further understood that Johnson is not keen to leave the Gresty Road club for the ultra-wealthy Ewood Park outfit.

Hence the shift of gaze to Bootham Crescent and Garratt, who has made a sensational impact in his first full season as a professional.

His return to the first-team fold in central midfield heralded a stirring performance and taking the Middlesbrough-born youngster's senior outings this term to 22 full starts and seven more as a substitute out of City's 34 games so far.

Rovers had a scout at Saturday's 1-1 draw with Reading and at City's two previous Pontin's League matches in which Garratt figured.

The youngster will likely have been noticed before by Rovers' boss Brian Kidd. As number two to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United Kidd monitored City's Jonathan Greening last season before his big-money move to Old Trafford 11 months ago.

City manager Alan Little pointedly refused to make any comment on the first outbreak of speculation over Garratt, save to say that his impact in the team this season 'had exceeded all expectations'.

Meanwhile, Little was also pleased by his first clean bill of health. For the first time since the current campaign began all 23 City professionals were out on the training ground together. The treatment room at Bootham Crescent was empty.

The fitness fillip was all the more timely as City seek to cement their place in the top half of the division and just as more clubs target young aces like Garratt and Richard Cresswell.

Said Little: "For the first time we had everybody out there training. "It won't give me a headache over selection, but it means a headache for those players who don't do it for the first-team. If they don't perform then they will come out."

Little has also increased his search for new players.

He dispatched one of his staff to Scotland at the weekend to check over a possible recruit, while adding that interest in Reading's Gareth Davies had not yet subsided despite his trial spell with Hibernian. It is believed he is trailing a centre-back. Though he has cover in that position he is resigned to losing transfer-listed Tony Barras when he comes out of contract in the summer.

Said Little: "The next signing has to be an important one. It's got to be right."

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