YORK City today landed former Scarborough defender Neil Thompson on a month's loan.

The 34-year-old left-back, who has been recruited from FA Carling Premiership Barnsley, will go straight into the City side, for tomorrow night's trip to Wycombe Wanderers. The player turned down a similar loan approach from First Division Port Vale this morning to join City.

Ironically, Thompson featured against the Minstermen two months ago when he was midway through a two-month loan spell with City's Second Division rivals Oldham Athletic.

City manager Alan Little made the sudden surge into the loan market to enable Graeme Murty, who has been outstanding in his three appearances in the number three shirt, to pep up the City attack after Saturday's 2-1 victory away at Brentford re-kindled hopes of the play-offs with City now just five points off the top six zone.

Enthused Little: "The lad is experienced, he has seen it all before at all levels and he wants to come to us.

"He has a left foot like a wand and him coming here will increase the competition in attack.

"I just feel at this stage that we need to press on and Thompson's arrival opens up a lot of options kin freeing Graeme Murty to go into the attack. That's what we need at this stage - competition - if we are to get any higher.

"The board have backed me all the way on this when it might have been easier for them to just say we'll continue as we are."

Thompson, who has made more than 400 League and cup appearances since making his debut for home-town Hull, is a vastly experienced campaigner comfortable defending in a flat-back four or as a wing-back, where he was primarily used by Barnsley.

He is due to come out of contact at Oakwell this summer and so the City move enables him to get back into the shop window.

The full-back will also be hoping for a less traumatic time at Bootham Crescent than his Tykes' team-mate Steve Davis. The rugged centre-back broke his leg in a freak training accident after just two games for the Minstermen on loan back in mid-September.

Beverley-born Thompson made 31 League appearances for Hull City before being released and joining Scarborough in 1983.

He starred in the Seasiders' Conference championship-winning team of 1986-87, the first to gain automatic promotion to the Football League.

All told he made 87 League outings for Boro before moving to Ipswich Town in 1989.

Six seasons were spent at Portman Road, where his penchant for thunderous goals from free-kicks decorated his 206 League games en route to coming north to Barnsley three seasons ago.

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