HANDING out two year contracts and above helps York City provide "stability" and "continuity" says manager Nigel Worthington.

Longer deals have been a feature of the former Northern Ireland boss's tenure at Bootham Crescent in contrast to the one-year options that were prevalent when the Minstermen plied their trade in the Conference and first bounced back into the Football League.

"I think you have got to be fair to the player and their families," said Worthington when asked about his contract policy. "You have got to have stability and continuity within the football club and within the group of players.

"If you are trying to build something, to give a year's contract to somebody is no good. In 12 months time, that individual could walk away and be elsewhere.

"That dismantles what you are trying to build. The fact that you have got the two years on the table for a large amount of players is hugely important when you are trying to build something."

Worthington is looking to play with a lot of pace next season, having recruited speedy full-backs Marvin McCoy and Femi Ilesanmi along with quick left-midfielder Anthony Straker.

He added: "In Marvin and Femi you have two very, very good full-backs, who have got league experience and will add to us. We have lost Oyebanjo, who was a fantastic lad and a great player for the football club but he has moved up a league. Young Ben (Davies) was fantastic last year over the course of the season for a loan player.

"We have got our own players in and that will be good for the club. To also bring Anthony in, with that pace and direct style of play, to go and get defenders and hopefully score goals, will be another addition to the team and the group of players."

And on Jake Hyde, the prolific former Barnet striker who will sign terms at the end of the month, Worthington believes he will provide greater firepower to a side that suffered when top scorer Wes Fletcher was injured with a couple of months of the last campaign remaining.

"We struggled with goals because we lost our big figure in Wes two months from the end of the season," the City chief said. "That was a huge loss for us but you have to live with that.

"With Jake coming into the club, he has scored goals in the Football League and scored a lot of goals in the Conference. It's a case of coming in and doing what he does best. Then it is up to the rest of the players, and myself and Steve, to produce, to try and help him to score goals, along with the other players."