BILLY McEwan has warned York City players stalling on signing contract extensions that the grass is unlikely to be greener elsewhere.

Only three senior players out of contract at the end of last season - Dave Merris, Lev Yalcin and Graeme Law - were offered new deals at KitKat Crescent by the City manager while teenagers David Stockdale, Bryan Stewart and Stephen Baynes were handed the chance to accept first-year professional terms.

All six players are yet to put pen to paper and, while McEwan is still in negotiations, he has told the players that they need to appreciate the fact that they were members of a team that finished 17th in the Conference table last season.

He said: "I am still negotiating with some of the players who have not signed yet but our offers have been made. Hopefully, they will sign but, if not, I won't lose any sleep.

"There will be hundreds available this summer and I can only pay them what is within the budget and what I feel they are worth on the evidence of what I have seen since I have been here. I have taken over a side in the bottom half of the Conference table and they have maybe got to look at things in that way.

"They might want to consider themselves fortunate to have been offered extensions and they might also find the grass isn't greener elsewhere."

McEwan is now looking forward to browsing through the official list of available, out-of-contract players which will be released by the Professional Footballers' Association next week as he continues his search for new talent.

But he also added that the club will be unable and unwilling to break the bank during their summer recruitment drive.

He said: "I've been in every day since the season finished working to see what we can get in. A lot of players will be keeping their options open even after the list comes out next week and enticing players will depend on them having to come in on terms within our little budget."

Former manager Chris Brass, goalkeeper Chris Porter, last season's top scorer Andy Bishop, transfer-listed striker Paul D Robinson and midfielder Darren Dunning are the only five senior players contracted to the Minstermen beyond the end of June.

Teenage apprentices Byron Webster, Michael Staley and Robbie Haw are the only other players on the KitKat Crescent books with first-team experience.

Updated: 09:48 Tuesday, May 31, 2005