YORK CITY boss Nigel Worthington will assess top scorer Wes Fletcher tomorrow morning to see whether he can play a part against Exeter City.

The 13-goal hitman missed last weekend’s draw with Southend with a groin problem and the City chief wants to give him as long a recovery time as possible ahead of Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two clash at Bootham Crescent.

“He’s coming on,” said Worthington when asked about Fletcher’s progress.

“I will probably have a look at him tomorrow morning and see what he is like and go from there.

“We will give him another 36 hours, whatever it may be, and give him and ourselves the best chance.”

Striker Ryan Jarvis may also have to be patient as he tries to force his way back into the starting line-up.

The former Torquay frontman played 19 minutes as a substitute against The Shrimpers after missing five matches with an ankle injury and Worthington hinted that match fitness might keep him from a place in the first XI.

He added: “Jarv was out for three-and-a-half weeks and hasn’t played a lot of football. He started training in the early part of this week and he needs to keep getting sessions under his belt to help get him back to speed.

“It takes about five or six weeks to get fit and it takes about five or six days to lose it. As much as they work hard while they are still injured, if you are not out on the training field on a daily basis it goes in different ways.

“We have got to be fair. We don’t want any injuries.

“We have got almost a clean bill of health, which is great, and let’s hope it can stay that way.”

Worthington is hoping his players can “put the cherry on the cake” by adding some goals to their defensively solid displays at home.

City equalled a club record against Southend as they failed to score for a fourth successive home game and the Minstermen manager said: “The last two performances at home, Cheltenham and Southend, have been very, very good. The only thing that’s been missing is the goals.

“We are aware of that, we are working on it and it is more of the same and just trying to get the cherry on the cake by the goal or goals to get the three points.

“They are working and training very well. There is a brightness and a spark in them and that has to be important over the next 13 games.

“We must keep looking forward, keep pushing – without putting too much pressure on the players because you want them to relax and go and perform. The last two performances at home, for me, have been very solid. There has been a lot of good stuff there and it is just about that final little bit of trying to get over the line.”

On Exeter, he added: “They are a very good footballing side and they want to pass that ball. They have had a few disappointments in recent games results-wise. We have watched them and they are decent – make no mistake about that.

“As always, if we do our own job properly and thoroughly and go and put on the field some of the training we do then, hopefully, come ten to five on Saturday afternoon, we won’t be far away.”

Worthington was also hopeful of progress in keeping Will Hayhurst at the club.

The youngster’s loan spell ends following the Exeter clash but the former Northern Ireland manager has been in touch with chiefs at Deepdale and is hopeful of brokering an extension – ideally until the end of the season.