YORK City boss Billy McEwan could turn to young guns Martyn Woolford and Alex Rhodes for attacking inspiration in the absence of top scorer Clayton Donaldson at Halifax tonight.

Donaldson begins a three-match suspension at the Shay following his red card for elbowing at Kidderminster and the Minstermen have been unable to sign a new striker since Saturday's 2-1 defeat.

That leaves Craig Farrell as City's only recognised senior foward available for selection although Rhodes, who turned 18 on New Year's Eve, has been promoted from the youth team squad and 21-year-old winger Woolford could also be pressed into a more central role if required.

Alternatively, McEwan could opt for the 4-5-1 line-up he employed against Bristol City and Morecambe this season which, with on-loan Hartlepool midfielder Michael Maidens and Woolford the wide men, would have the flexibility to change into a 4-3-3 formation.

About his options without Donaldson, the City boss said: "Clayton is disappointed because he wants to play and I want him to concentrate on playing. He will also have wanted to impress the people who have been looking at him but he's got no chance of that now because, by the time he's available again, the transfer window will be shut.

"The team will be without one of its key players but other players have got to take up the mantle. Martyn Woolford's carrying a bit of a knock and has been under treatment for a while but we have got our fingers crossed that he will be available because he's a footballer who can play in any one of the forward positions as well as in midfield.

"Rhodesy will also travel with us and he will give us pace and penetration if we need that. We have been knocked back two or three times for forwards and are also trying to bring in a defender but we haven't had much luck not because of finances but because players don't want to drop into the Conference."

Rhodes made his debut as a substitute at Altrincham last season but has not tasted first-team action in 2006/07 and has only been named on the bench once against Morecambe back in September.

Former Cardiff City defender Danny Parslow is also expected to earn a recall alongside David McGurk with Jason Goodliffe having returned to Stevenage after the end of his three-month loan spell.

McEwan, however, has still not given up hope of retaining Goodliffe's services until the summer, saying: "We're not ruling that out. He wants an 18-month contract down south which I can understand at his age with a young family but he was willing to come here until the end of the season.

"Since then, Stevenage have said they want money for him and I think that could spoil the lad's chances of playing football because he will just sit in the stands there."

James Dudgeon and Nathan Peat are available again after serving their three-match bans but are unlikely to make tonight's starting line-up.

Tonight's squads

Halifax (probable): Mawson, Toulson, Quinn, Trotman, Doughty, Forrest, Kearney, Foster, Killeen, Smeltz, Ainsworth. Subs: Wright, Butler, Jacobs, Thompson, Uhlenbeek.

York (probable): Evans, Craddock, McGurk, Parslow, Lloyd, Maidens, Panther, Bishop, Bowey, Woolford, Farrell. Subs from: Reid, McMahon, Greenwood, Peat, Dudgeon, Rhodes.

Referee: Karl Evans (Greater Manchester).

KICK-OFF: 7.45pm