Pace-setting York City have hit the ground running in pre-season training.

Manager Alan Little declared that his players reported for pre-season at Bootham Crescent fitter and stronger than at the same point last year.

The squad, complete with new additions Steve Agnew and Neil Woods, were put through their paces on Knavesmire yesterday morning before undergoing a fitness assessment in the afternoon.

Said Little: "I have got a guideline on how fit they are and I will say this, with most of the lads who were here last year, the running check was higher than last year.

"As a group on the first day, this year they are slightly fitter. The indications are that the boys are fine, they have got themselves together.

"I think they started very nervously as a group because there were new faces but by the afternoon they were starting to get together."

The City boss added that the training intensity would be upped over the next few days, incorporating Saturday's friendly fixture at Pocklington.

"We will be building up the pressure in training," he said.

"We have not done anything over a jog but I will be increasing the pace of training and stamina work to get some level of fitness and continue that over the next seven days.

"We are at Pocklington on Saturday and training Sunday and will continue that next week. I don't think there has been a York City side over the last six or seven years that has been unfit."

Meanwhile, the City boss re-iterated his desire to bring in a right-sided midfielder as the "final ingredient" in his outfield plans.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.