FORMER York City striker Craig Farrell has warned his old team to beware of Oxford United’s rampaging full-backs at Wembley.

The ex-Leeds United trainee felt Damien Batt and Anthony Tonkin were key players as Oxford completed a 3-1 Blue Square Premier play-off semi-final victory over Farrell’s Rushden and Diamonds on Monday.

That win set up a mouth- watering meeting with the Minstermen on May 16 to decide which team reclaims their Football League status and Farrell believes containing right-back Batt and Tonkin on the opposite flank could prove the key to success for Martin Foyle’s team.

He said: “Oxford obviously look at James Constable to score goals and he has done over the last two seasons, but they are also a big strong unit with first-class full-backs in Damien Batt and Anthony Tonkin.

“They get up and down constantly and are the main reasons why we struggled.

“We played a 4-3-3 formation and their full-backs forced our wide men back, leaving myself or Jefferson Louis isolated up front. They are a big outlet for them.”

Farrell, who spent two-and-a-half seasons at Bootham Crescent before leaving for Rushden in a swap deal with Michael Rankine last summer via a loan spell at Oxford, believes City will prove difficult to overcome, however, should they break the deadlock first.

Rushden failed to score in either of their matches against the Minstermen during 2009/10, drawing 0-0 in North Yorkshire before going down 1-0 in the return match at Nene Park.

Farrell added: “Both teams have a couple of players who are perhaps better than the other side’s in certain positions and I think it will be tight. But if York get an early goal, they have proven all season that they rarely surrender leads.

“Twenty six clean sheets tells you how good the goalkeeper and back four are. Dave McGurk text a picture to me of his ten out of ten rating in The Press and you have to say he’s a fantastic model of consistency.

“He never puts a foot wrong and has probably made one or two mistakes during the last five years. We have the same group of friends so I’m getting hammered at the moment, but I’m pleased for him.

“Luke Graham has also been solid alongside him, James Meredith has done brilliantly and Ben Purkiss is another very, very good player.

“In the first game at Bootham Crescent, we probably shaded the game and would have won had it not been for an unbelievable save by Michael Ingham. The second game at our place was a scrappy affair that York probably deserved to win.

“They were very, very difficult to break down in both games and, during that long run of 1-0 wins they had, the lads told me they hadn’t played well for about 20 games but were picking up the points, which is obviously the sign of a good side.”

Farrell also feels former strike partner Richard Brodie can have a big bearing on the game and has been impressed with the progress the former Newcastle Benfield forward has made over the last two years, saying: “With 37 goals, Richard Brodie’s strike-rate is phenomenal.

“When he first came to the club, he was very, very raw but you always knew he had a bit of something and, since Martin Foyle took over, he has gone from strength to strength.

“He’s a fantastic lad and some of the goals he’s scored have been incredible. He also holds the ball up better than he used to and gets down the channels well. I’m sure there are a lot of clubs looking at him.”

Having played for both teams last season, Farrell might be forgiven for diplomacy ahead of the final but pledged his support for City, saying: “I’ll be watching the game although it will be a difficult experience for me as we believe we had a great chance to get there.

“I’ve got friends at both clubs and I’m glad that, if anybody other than us has to go up, it will be one of them. I’d probably say I want York to win, though, if I was pushed.

“I was there for three years and Dave McGurk and Michael Ingham are two of my best friends, so I hope the final goes well for them.”

Farrell also reckons the current City squad is better than the 2007 side he helped reach the play-off semi-finals before being defeated by Morecambe and added that, if the club are unsuccessful a week on Sunday, that it shouldn’t signal the break up of the team this time around.

He said: “I was very, very surprised how many of that 2007 team were released back then and I think that upset the balance a little the following season. (City chairman) Jason McGill deserves some credit this year though.

“He has put his money where his mouth is and provided the manager with the funds to sign some good players. I would say three or four of the players in the 2007 team would get in this one, so I think York are stronger now.”