THE work to bring new players to York City started as early as last Christmas, assistant manager Steve Torpey has revealed.

As Marvin McCoy became the latest recruit at Bootham Crescent this summer, joining Femi Ilesanmi and Jake Hyde, Torpey gave an insight into the processes used by manager Nigel Worthington and chairman Jason McGill to entice players to the League Two outfit.

"We identify players who are out of contract at York City and there is always the possibility that they will move on," he said. "The process starts at Christmas time when you start looking to identify players.

"You look at age, experience and budget comes into it. They are the ingredients you need to target potential players for York City. When you play against players, if they make a mark and do well against you, you do take note.

"You watch them throughout the season and if they produce the goods week in and week out - on a consistent basis - then you think of them as potential signings.

"Other clubs see that as well so there is a lot that comes into the mix but you do start identifying sooner rather than later, especially in those areas where players are going to be out-of-contract.

"It all becomes a little bit clearer when players make their decisions. Ultimately, they have got to be happy to come to York. We try and sell the club to them and the football side of it - the new stadium - and the way York as a city is on the up.

"A lot of it sells itself."

Torpey believes the personal touch, with McGill meeting new recruits at the rail station and personally showing them round York and the facilities at the football club and training ground, has had a big effect on persuading potential recruits to put pen to paper.

He added: "The chairman has been very good. He has met players from the station and we've taken them on a tour of the city centre. We take them up to the training ground and most of them are impressed with it, and rightly so.

"That personal touch, and for the chairman to take time out of his busy schedule and meet these players, just shows the importance of what we are trying to achieve.

"I think the players respect it as well. I don't know if they have come across that before. I didn't as a player. I met the manager, the assistant manager, or sometimes the physio, but never the chairman."

Torpey, who was appointed Worthington's assistant following the departure of Fred Barber at the end of the 2012/13 season, said he is enjoying working with the former Northern Ireland manager.

"Working with Nigel has been a great learning curve for me," he said. "I have learned a lot over last season and the three months when he originally took over. We were in a dogfight to stay in the Football League and so it was a massive learning curve for me and he is a great person to work for.

"I always said that I wanted to learn steadily, rather than go in as a manager. If you haven't learned you can fall flat on your face and so I have done it steadily - from the Under-13s and 14s at Hull to the academy at York City, the reserves and now assistant manager."