York City young guns Bryan Stewart and Sean Davies have been drafted into Chris Brass' squad for the busy Christmas programme.

But fellow fledgling Lev Yalcin will have to be patient for his chance despite scoring a goal five minutes into his playing comeback as a substitute in Wednesday's 4-2 reserve victory over Darlington.

Brass is keen not to rush the Turkish youth international striker back after his recent groin problems and feels he is a month away from Football League action.

But midfielder Stewart and defender Davies have been put on stand-by for first-team duty as part of a 20-strong squad that will also include recalled senior professionals Mitch Ward and Steve Downes.

City take on Kidderminster tomorrow at Bootham Crescent before entertaining Hull City on Boxing Day and travelling to Rochdale two days later.

Stewart has made nine substitute appearances this season but has not featured in Brass' plans since the 2-0 defeat at Bury in September.

Davies is yet to make his first-team debut but has been drafted in with centre-backs Richard Hope, Leigh Wood and Stuart Wise all unavailable.

Wise has tonsilitis, Wood has had a shoulder operation and Hope is suspended until the trip to Rochdale on December 28 midfielder when Matthew Coad's three-match ban will also have expired.

Player-boss Brass said: "Bryan Stewart and Sean Davies are both banging on the door and will be part of a 20-man squad over Christmas. It is crucial we have that many people available and it's a squad that will take us through to the Rochdale game.

"The youngsters might be used to having a break over Christmas but they have stopped believing in Santa and it will give them the added boost of being involved in full-time training with the first team."

About Yalcin, Brass added: "He did well for the reserves and will come in and train with us over the Christmas period while the other apprentices have a break which is pleasing because he knows how hard it's going to be and, realistically, he's a month away from being anywhere near banging on the door.

"It's just great he's not getting any type of reaction whereas before he kept coming back in and breaking down. At this moment, he's just getting general aches and pains and nothing that's concerning me.

"He is somebody who I envisaged using now when I took the job. That's how highly I rate him.

"It's just a case of getting his fitness levels to a stage where we expect him to be and if you do not do that you run the risk of losing him again so we are treating him with kid gloves."

"It is a very important game at the start of a very important week. We have done well of late but we need to take these draws and turn them into wins especially at home.

"It's important that we come out of Christmas with the right results and are at least where we are now - in striking distance of the play-offs."

Brass also admitted that Christmas 2003 will not be as fraught as last year despite the on-going uncertainty over Bootham Crescent.

He said: "We went into last Christmas looking like we were not getting paid. Thankfully that was avoided because of the donations from supporters and the Professional Footballers' Assovciation, which eased our worries slightly.

"Going into this Christmas, it has been an eventful year but we have achieved so much in the history of York City over the past 12 months.

"I think we are now starting to get the solid foundations needed to take the club forward and if everybody continues to work and stick together it's looking a hell of a lot more promising than this time 12 months ago."

Updated: 10:01 Saturday, December 20, 2003