Striker Rodney Rowe will spearhead York City's attack against his former club Huddersfield Town at Bootham Crescent tonight (7.30).

It will be 'rocket Rodney's' first game against the Terriers since moving from his hometown club in a £65,000 deal 15 months ago.

Rowe knows he needs to produce an impressive show after the promising partnership which has already flourished in the front-line between new signing Neil Woods and youngster Richard Cresswell.

They have looked the sharpest in pre-season so far. But Rowe and Neil Tolson, the latter out of the first two games of the new season because of suspension, when they replaced the Woods-Cresswell axis in extra time of the North Riding Senior Cup win at Scarborough.

Said Little: "They caused more trouble in extra time then they have done in the rest of the pre-season.

"I want us to start strong tonight, so it could be the ideal time for Rodney to be given a chance, especially against his former club."

City are also expected to give a run-out to trialist goalkeeper Matthew Boswell, while back in contention for the right wing-back slot will be winger David Alleyn, who has been released by Scottish Second Division club Livingston.

Little meanwhile said he had heard no further from Scottish First Division club Airdrie over City's interest in out of contract winger Gordon Connelly.

"Airdrie had a board meeting on Saturday, but so we we've had no feedback from them, which is disappointing."

Fitness checks will be made before tonight's game on Scott Jordan (thigh strain) and Gary Himsworth (hamstring), while centre-back John Sharples is to see a specialist in the next week or so over his knee injury.

Tonight's game will also see the return to his former hunting-ground of ex-City striker Paul Barnes.

Meanwhile, England discard Paul Gascoigne's chances of playing in Alan Little's testimonial game for Middlesbrough against City on Wednesday have increased after recovering from a thigh strain.

The midfield ace was due to make his first appearance for Boro since his World Cup exclusion heartache at Conference club Hednesford on Saturday.

But injury postponed his comeback until tonight when he will appear for Boro in a friendly at Stockport County before likely figuring against City at Bootham Crescent in two days' time.

Also making his debut tonight will be Boro's £2 million summer recruit Gary Pallister, who also missed the Hednesford match.

City's chances of winning the Division Two championship are rated remote.

Bookmaker's William Hill rank City as no more than 40-1 shots alongside Wycombe to finish top of the charts next May.

Only four clubs figure higher in the odds. Tops to go down and grouped at 50-1 are promoted Colchester, Lincoln City and Macclesfield with Walsall propping up the betting list.

Glamour club Manchester City, who fell with a thud from the Nationwide First Division to suffer their lowest ever status, are not surprisingly outright favourites to go straight back up as champions. The Maine Road men are priced at 7-4.

Behind them are the Mohammed Al Fayed-funded Fulham with Reading and Stoke City next in the ratings as they also seek an instant return to higher pastures.

The full betting odds are: 7-4 Manchester City; 5-1 Fulham; 8-1 Reading; 9-1 Stoke City; 16-1 Northampton Town; 18-1 Bristol Rovers; 20-1 Notts County; 22-1 Burnley; 25-1 Luton Town, Millwall, Wrexham, Wigan Athletic; 33-1 Blackpool, Bournemouth, Chesterfield, Gillingham, Oldham Athletic, Preston North End; 40-1 Wycombe Wanderers, YORK CITY; 50-1 Colchester United, Lincoln City, Macclesfield Town and Walsall.

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