FREE agent Luke Graham has promised to make a swift decision on his York City future.
Centre-back Graham has been offered a new deal at Bootham Crescent but is considering his options due to commuting problems from his Northampton home.
The 24-year-old defender admitted he would have been more likely to carry on undertaking the 300-mile round trip had City won Sunday’s Blue Square Premier final against Oxford United.
He is yet to discount a move to the Minstermen but revealed that Football League clubs are also now showing an interest in his services.
Graham said: “Obviously, there’s a chance that I will stay and it would have been a no-brainer had we won on Sunday but there are other clubs interested in me and the commuting is a difficult situation. There’s a lot of travelling involved and I also have a mortgage to pay.
“It was worthwhile for the season but, now, I’ve got to weigh up whether I want to do the same again or look to find a club closer to home. I’m in the process of talking to other teams and I want to be honest with everyone and make a decision as soon as I can because I do not want the gaffer waiting all summer on one player.
“I’m fully aware that he has to assemble a squad for next season. There are a few Football League clubs interested in me and a couple from this division.
“Playing in the League is obviously an ambition but there’s a difference between interest and getting a firm offer on the table. I’m just trying to digest everything at the moment with my agent.”
Graham added that uprooting to York to solve his travelling headache was not a realistic option.
“I only moved to Northampton in December and it’s quite expensive to live in York,” he pointed out. “My girlfriend has also got a new job, so I would not want to relocate at this point in my life.”
Should Graham decide his future lies away from North Yorkshire, he believes the club already have ready-made replacements to partner David McGurk in club captain Daniel Parslow and youth-team graduate Dean Lisles.
He added: “York have had a great defensive record with McGurk and Parslow as their centre-backs. They are both York City through and through and have done a great job at the club for many years.
“I also think Dean Lisles has a good chance of making the grade and, when I’ve played alongside him in training, I’ve tried to help him as much as I can.”
The former Northampton Town trainee also feels the club are in safe hands under the current management team and well-placed to challenge at the top end of the table again during 2010/11.
He said: “With Martin Foyle in charge, anything’s possible. He is a great manager with a great assistant in Andy Porter.
“They have done wonders and I’m surprised they haven’t attracted interest from Football League clubs. I’m sure, if I move on, the manager will do a great job in getting the right players in.
“They will keep the club moving in the right direction and, having reached the play-offs this season, that will be the minimum target in the next one.”
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