YORK City skipper Chris Smith is expected to be fit to face Luton Town on Saturday.

Smith was substituted midway through the first half of Saturday’s 1-0 FA Trophy home defeat to Boston United after a collision with team-mate Michael Ingham left him with a rib injury.

City boss Gary Mills feared a long-term problem and lengthy lay-off for the 29-year-old defender initially but the problem eased over the weekend and there are no plans for a hospital check-up ahead of this weekend’s Kenilworth Road clash.

Mills said: “Chris is okay which was quite surprising really. He took a lot of tablets to get the swelling down and that cleared the pain so, fingers crossed, he will hopefully be fine.

“He won’t need an X-ray and is really pleased with how it’s settled down. He should be training this week and available for Luton on Saturday.”

The City chief also pointed out that Smith’s situation at Bootham Crescent should not change regardless of the imminent appointment of a new manager at parent club Mansfield Town.

Mills signed Smith on loan in mid-October with an understanding he would be with the Minstermen until the end of the season.

Since then, David Holdsworth has been relieved of his managerial duties with the Stags but Mills believes any new boss will need to honour that arrangement, saying: “We have got an agreement with them to keep him until the end of the season.”

Mills has, meanwhile, stressed that the door is not closed on first-team recalls for Levi Mackin and Chris Carruthers.

The midfield pair, both members of last season’s play-off final side, have struggled to break back into the squad since recovering from knee injuries.

Carruthers was on the bench at Darlington in the FA Cup – a competition in which seven substitutes can be named – but otherwise neither player has featured in a matchday squad during the club’s last four outings.

With no reserve fixtures, Mills faces the dilemma of risking whether or not the pair can play themselves into match fitness during senior games and had hoped Mackin might gain some game time with a loan move that has not yet materialised.

About both players’ situations, the City manager said: “We had a game between ourselves yesterday morning with Levi playing alongside the youth team lads because it’s important that we try and get their fitness levels as high as we can.

“They have got to train with us and do whatever extra bits they need to do themselves. They are both getting there and are still in my mind.”