York City boss Billy McEwan has urged his players to ignore possible transfer interest from other clubs this season and commit their future to KitKat Crescent.

McEwan watched his side finish their Conference season in eighth place after a 3-1 defeat against Hereford and then warned anybody considering moving on that they could be consigning themselves to a season of reserve team football.

Speculation of interest from higher divisions in 43-goal strike partners Andy Bishop and Clayton Donaldson is inevitable but McEwan believes none of his players are ready to step up to the Football League yet and would be better served working for another year under him.

He said: "I've told all the players I can get them the right clubs at the right time but, at the minute, they are not ready to go into the League. They might think they are but they are not and I know because I have been a League manager.

"I can guarantee that they would not be first-team regulars. That's not a slight on my players because I think I've got decent material here but my track record proves that if they stay with me longer they will get better but, if they want to leave York City, then they will do because I only want people who want to play for York City.

"They won't be able to hold the club to ransom either but I think the players understand our problems here and where I am coming from. They are a great bunch of kids and, hopefully, if they are sensible and the club are sensible, we can keep them together but I don't know about that yet."

McEwan also added that he would like to bring "six or seven" new players to the club over the summer with greater competition for goalkeeper Chris Porter a priority.

Porter dropped a cross for Hereford's second goal on Saturday and the City boss said: "I have got to bring six or seven new players in because we have had a squad of 13 or 14 and the rest have been babies. That may have cost us during the run-in when we could not rest anybody when we had knocks.

"There's been no competition on the goalkeeper, for an example, and maybe we could probably have more competition for Chris."

Following a nine-place improvement on last season's 17th-place finish, McEwan is not, however, offering any false promises ahead of the next campaign after 15 months that he described as his "toughest during 40 years working in football".

He said: "I have nothing but praise for the boys and I think they have been fantastic to finish eighth. They have surpassed my expectations at the start of the season as 12 months ago we were celebrating staying up.

"Hopefully we can build on this next season but there's no guarantees. All we can do is our best as the players I might want I might not get because their wages might be too high and the players we want to keep might not stay."

McEwan added that he will find it hard to break off from work now the season has ended, saying: "I will be on the phone straight away talking to people about players.

"You don't get breaks in football, only short holidays and, even then you never switch off. It would be great if I could but it's in your mind all the time.

"That's what makes it a stressful job but the pleasure I get out of it is the super football we have played at times this season."

Updated: 09:35 Monday, May 01, 2006