ADAM Reed has admitted his ill-fated spell with Burton Albion was character building.

The 22-year-old midfielder is looking forward to relaunching his career at York City after spurning the chance of a move to Bootham Crescent in the summer following his release by Premier League outfit Sunderland.

He opted for the Brewers then but went on to make just three league starts before rejoining the club that he scored two goals for during the closing six games of last season following a loan move from the Black Cats.

Reed’s efforts were instrumental in preserving the Minstermen’s Football League status and he now reckons his frustration at Burton can be turned into a positive during his second stint in North Yorkshire.

He said: “I made my decision in the summer and you have to live with that. Maybe that experience needed to happen so I could learn from my mistakes.

“I have probably come out of it a stronger person and more determined – even more than I was when I came here from Sunderland.

“By bringing me back, the gaffer has put a lot of faith in me and I want to repay him and the York City fans who have stuck by me.”

After growing unhappy with his lack of match time at Burton, Reed has only been given nine minutes in the first two games since his return to Bootham Crescent.

He was an unused substitute during the 2-0 win at Northampton Town but was introduced for Russell Penn after 81 minutes of Saturday’s goalless draw with Bristol Rovers.

Reed is willing to bide his time for a shot in the first XI, though, then grab his chance when it arrives, adding: “As long as I get a fair chance, I can’t ever complain.

“I came in when the guys were winning, so you can never expect to go straight into the team because there are obviously other players who are working hard. I have got to show the gaffer on the training pitch how much ability I have got and what I can bring to the team.

“Then, hopefully, when the time is right, he will give me a start and I can keep my place. It was brilliant to get back out on to the pitch on Saturday.

“I was dying to get on at Northampton but, obviously, the gaffer did not think the time was right then. I was really happy to get on in my first home game back though and I just want to have some input, produce on the pitch and help the team now.”

Reed has returned to a much-changed side from the one that he helped complete a successful battle against relegation at Dagenham on the final day of last term.

From Saturday’s starting XI against Bristol Rovers, only David McGurk and Lanre Oyebanjo kicked off that match in Essex but Reed is impressed with Nigel Worthington’s new recruits, saying: “The club are getting results and are in mid-table now and the manager has brought in a lot of quality.

“There are a lot of hard-working players and you know what to expect from them. They work hard before anything else and that’s what everybody and the fans expect when they pay their money.

"We also have players who can win us games even when we’re not playing well like Wes Fletcher and Ryan Jarvis. They bring a lot of quality on to the pitch which helps you out when you are trying to climb up the table.”

Reed also believes there is little difference between the Minstermen’s squad and that he has left behind at Burton, who currently occupy a Sky Bet League Two automatic promotion place.

“In this league, there’s quality in every team so it’s all about going into games with the right attitudes and preparing well,” he reasoned.

“Then, you can win any game. “We felt we could have won Saturday’s game because we had plenty of chances but it just didn’t happen for us. We needed a bit of luck to get a goal but we are still four games undefeated and have got to take the positives out of the match.”

Reed is currently contracted to City until the end of the season and, if offered a new deal in the summer, he is more likely to put pen to paper this time around.

“As long as I am enjoying my football, I will be happy here and I want to help get York City where they deserve to be in the table,” he explained.