MIDFIELD general Scott Kerr believes his decision to sign for York City last season has been vindicated by former club Lincoln’s relegation to the Blue Square Bet Premier.

The Imps will face City in the highest echelon of non-League football during the 2011/12 campaign after Barnet climbed above them on the final day of the Football League season to send the Sincil Bank club down.

Lincoln bounced back at the first time of asking when they last lost their League status in 1987 but Kerr feels the Minstermen will be better equipped to mount a promotion challenge next term, citing Gary Mills’ man-management skills as a key factor while denigrating those of Imps’ chief Steve Tilson.

About his old side’s demise, the Leeds-born 29-year-old said: “It’s sad for the fans to see the club drop out of the League but I think the manager (Tilson) got what he deserved. He came in with his own ideas but didn’t even look at the squad of players he inherited.

“He brought a lot of players in and got it in his head that he didn’t want certain players who were good hard-working professionals. He didn’t try to keep me and that’s why I left after five-and-a-half years of good service.

“I’ve had a lot of messages from people at Lincoln saying that they shouldn’t have let me go but, for me, the relegation confirms what a good move I made in January.

“I’ve enjoyed my football at York for the first time in a long while and Gary Mills’ man-management skills are really good – he respects all his players.

“The team spirit and togetherness amongst the lads immediately impressed me at York because we did not have that at Lincoln and that’s probably a reason why they went down.

“There were separate groups of players who did not get on as well as they should have done and, when you take two points from the last ten games, as they did, you deserve to go down.”

Lincoln have released or transfer listed all but three of last season’s squad and Kerr reckons such an overhaul and a much-reduced wage bill will make his former employers unlikely promotion challengers next season.

“It’s hard to tell at this stage but they will have to build a new squad and that can obviously lead to problems of gelling together quickly,” he said.

“Their chairman has already said it might take three or four years to get back up and, from the reports coming out of the club, I don’t think they will throw money at it either like Grimsby did.”

Kerr added Tilson’s massive cull could prove a little rash with Lincoln’s free agents potentially offering rich pickings for rivals. “They’ve released quite a few decent players,” he claimed. “Paul Green was really good at right-back. He’s struggled with injuries but he came from Aston Villa and is a talented player who can also play at centre-half.”

While Kerr is unlikely to be familiar with many faces when he tackles his old team next season, he also admitted he will welcome the opportunity to renew acquaintances with the club’s supporters.

“I’m already looking forward to every game and hate the off-season but it will be especially nice to go back to Sincil Bank and I think I will get a good reception after almost 250 games for the club,” he said.

Kerr is relishing his first full season at Bootham Crescent more though and hopes to make up for missing two games of the run-in through suspension.

The one-time Bradford City reserve was unavailable for the Darlington and Cambridge fixtures prior to the final league match at Crawley and, although results elsewhere ultimately meant City would not have qualified for the play-offs, Kerr was still distraught at being sidelined while the dream of a top-five place was still alive.

He said: “It was horrible, especially as I felt I was finding my form and getting stronger and stronger. I was also affecting games a bit more and really enjoying my football. I thought it would all go down to the last game so to get banned and have to watch it peter away when I wanted to be out there was very difficult. We did show in that last match at (champions) Crawley we are not that far away.

“They only got two points out of six from us. I don’t think there will be anything to fear next season with the squad we have got and the new faces the gaffer will bring in.

“We have one aim – promotion. If we can win the league then that makes it simple but, if not, we’ll do it through the play offs.”