ADAM Reed is getting back to his best, according to York City manager Nigel Worthington.

The 22-year-old midfielder is hoping to retain his starting place for the Minstermen’s home match with Cheltenham tomorrow despite Lewis Montrose being back in contention after serving a two-match suspension.

Reed has kicked off both of those games – a 2-0 Bootham Crescent defeat to Chesterfield being followed by last weekend’s 2-1 triumph at Fleetwood – with Worthington believing he is approaching the kind of form that saw him play an integral role in preserving City’s Football League status at the end of last season.

His first spell at the club – on loan from Sunderland – came to an end in the summer when Reed opted to join Burton instead of the Minstermen after being released by the Black Cats.

A tough spell at the Pirelli Stadium, where his game time was severely limited, ensued.

He then had to bide his time for a second full debut at City, being named as a substitute for the first three matches following his January transfer window switch, but Worthington feels he has staked a claim to continue his midfield partnership with ex-Robin Russell Penn tomorrow.

The City boss said: “I thought we saw the Adam Reed we had at the end of last season at Fleetwood.

“He was putting a foot in, getting close to people and getting on the ball so I was very, very pleased with his performance.

“With Lewis coming back, I will look at the situation and how Cheltenham set up before deciding which way to go.”