YORK City winger Michael Coulson has confessed that he might find two games in three days troublesome.

The 26-year-old attacker, who has suffered cruciate damage at three different stages of his career, visited a specialist last month after feeling discomfort in his knee and, as a precaution, has not participated in recent training sessions held on astroturf due to the wet weather.

City entertain Accrington Stanley this afternoon before travelling for an away fixture at Carlisle on Sunday and, even though ever-present Femi Ilesanmi is the only player to have racked up more appearances for the club than Coulson this season, the ex-England C international is unsure whether he will complete the entire festive programme.

"I've not been training much recently because I am trying to keep the swelling in my knee down," Coulson explained. "I will be doing my utmost to be fit and I'm sure I will be fine for one of the games.

"Whether I can play both, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

City's task today will be to record a first Bootham Crescent win during 2014/15 and, in the process, avoid equalling a club record of 14 home matches without a victory.

Coulson is at a loss to explain that sequence, which has included seven draws and only odd-goal defeats.

"I can't really put my finger on why we haven't won at home yet," he added. "We go out there and seem to play alright, but just haven't had the results.

"We've obviously not deserved to win every home game, but we have definitely deserved to pick up more points and wins than we have done. We've just got to keep believing and dig in because the sooner that win comes along the better."

After Accrington, the Minstermen will take on a Carlisle team that currently sit one point and one place above their third-bottom visitors with Coulson admitting he would relish a role in such a vital contest.

He said: "Carlisle are next to us in the league and it's a big game. There will be a big crowd and, even though we would rather be fighting for points at the top end of the table, you want to play in occasions like those."

Coulson will enter the Christmas period with just two goals to his name, having netted seven times last season despite being overlooked by former manager Nigel Worthington for almost three months of that campaign.

He is, however, well clear at the top of the club's assists table, having teed up seven goals this term for team-mates.

That is the same number that saw him finish at the summit of that contest, along with Ryan Bowman, last season and, while looking to get his name on the scoresheet more regularly, Coulson reckons his recent switch to the right flank, where he can swing in the kind of crosses with his favoured foot that saw Jake Hyde net in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Bury, will mean he can further enhance his reputation as a reliable provider of opportunities.

"I've not got enough goals really this season," he pointed out. "I would have expected to have got more and I've had a few close opportunities.

"The goalkeepers have pulled off some good saves, so that's been frustrating, but I've been involved in quite a few goals so I'm just taking the positives from that. When I am on the right, getting the ball in the box for the strikers is definitely a big part of my game.

"When I am on the left, I cut inside and slide more balls in but, on the right, I can get a few good balls in during a game and Jake is a goalscorer who will get on the end of them."

Coulson also feels he might have to relinquish his free-kick taking duties following Luke Summerfield's spectacular set-piece strike against Bury.

"We have been competing for them all season but mine haven't been up to scratch so I was happy for him to take it and he hit it in the top corner, which was brilliant for the team," the Scarborough-born flank man smiled. "I'm not sure whether I'll get back on them for a while now."

Coulson went on to praise his current teenage accomplice on the right wing - on-loan Middlesbrough full-back Brad Halliday.

"He's been superb," Coulson enthused. "His debut was first class and he was the same again at Bury.

"He's a young lad full of enthusiasm and you can see that in the way he plays. He also likes going forward, so hopefully we can build a partnership together."