JOHN ASKEY is ready for the unexpected as York City travel to manager-less Aldershot Town tomorrow afternoon (3pm).

Aldershot departed company with boss Mark Molesley at the weekend following a 2-0 defeat to Vanarama National League South side Chelmsford City in the Emirates FA Cup.

That loss was Town's ninth suffered from 14 matches this season, with the Shots currently third-from-bottom in the National League and only a couple of points ahead of foot-of-the-table Torquay United.

Seventh-placed York will come up against an Aldershot side, led by interim manager Terry Brown, desperate for a response.

“You just don’t know what reaction the players are going to have," admitted City manager Askey.

"We’ve seen it plenty of times before when the manager has gone and then the following match, all of a sudden the players pick up (their form).

“Hopefully that’s not the case. It’ll be a little bit of the unknown in how they’re going to play, so it does make it slightly more difficult.”

Similarly to Brown, Askey initially stepped in as York's interim manager last year following the departure of Steve Watson.

“I was a little bit more fortunate that I’d trained with the players a couple of times," reflected the City boss.

“(In that situation), you’re hoping for a response, that’s the big thing.

“But if we can start well against them, doubts will start creeping into their minds again."

Askey added on his side boasting the fourth-best away record in the division. "We’ve been doing well away from home, so we go there full of confidence.”

Despite Aldershot's struggles, York cannot afford any complacency. City have already played four of the bottom five, winning just once, in this month's 1-0 victory over Torquay.

Askey said: “There’s not much difference between any of the teams (in this division). If you’re not quite on it, then you’ll struggle. At times, that’s been the case for us.

"First of all, we've got to stop the opposition from playing and then we grow into it and play our own game.”