YORK City’s destiny is in good hands as loyal servants Dan Parslow, David McGurk, Michael Ingham and Chris Smith prepare to line-up for today’s crunch clash at Dagenham & Redbridge.

So declared manager Nigel Worthington as he contemplated a teamsheet including those four players who between them boast more than 1,000 appearances for the Minstermen.

The Bootham Crescent club need a point to guarantee survival in npower League Two as seven sides head into the final day of the campaign under threat of the drop.

Parslow is poised to make his 300th appearance for the club this afternoon (3pm kick off), while McGurk has played 307 games for City, Ingham 281 and Smith 207.

Worthington said: “It’s nice to have young players with energy, but it’s important to have experienced players who have been through these situations and circumstances before as well.

“They know what is coming and to play that number of games for any club is a real achievement. The players deserve credit for that because loyalty is not always found in the game of football.”

Meanwhile, Worthington is expecting no favours from old pal Aidy Boothroyd ahead of this afternoon’s crucial final round of fixtures. If Boothroyd’s Northampton team beat Barnet at home today, the Minstermen will be certain to stay in the Football League regardless of their own result at Dagenham.

The Cobblers boast the division’s best home record and Barnet the worst on the road but the hosts’ incentive for a victory has been diminished by the fact that their play-off place has already been secured and their chance of automatic promotion has gone.

Boothroyd worked under Worthington at Norwich but the City chief admitted he cannot expect his former youth-team coach to pull out all the stops against the Bees with more important games on the horizon.

Instead, Worthington reiterated that it was down to his players to get the necessary result at Dagenham, where a point would guarantee survival.

“It’s down to ourselves,” the Minstermen boss said. “Aidy’s in the play-offs and he’s got his own job to do.

“He will decide whether he puts a full-strength team out or rests some of his players. It’s entirely up to him and that’s his business, not mine.”

• Former City manager Gary Mills is hoping the club is successful in today’s battle to beat the drop at Dagenham.

Despite being dismissed last month and replaced by Worthington, Mills retains a great fondness for the club and its supporters and wants the Minstermen to prosper in the future.

In a letter to former Press City reporter Malcolm Huntington, last season’s double Wembley-winning manager said: “I will always remember the warmth and support I had from the fans and I am hoping York City will continue to progress because it’s a very special club and deserves to be in the Football League.”