YORK City right-back Marvin McCoy has put club before country ahead of tomorrow’s home clash with his old team Wycombe Wanderers.

McCoy has turned down the opportunity to add to his seven international caps for Antigua & Barbuda in next week’s Caribbean Cup clashes against Anguilla, Dominican Republic and Saint Vincent & The Grenadines.

Instead, the 25-year-old defender, who arrived at Bootham Crescent from Buckinghamshire in the summer, is keen to help to kick-start the Minstermen’s season.

McCoy has played for The Benna Boys alongside Nottingham Forest striker Dexter Blackstock in the past but has made himself available for City’s upcoming fixtures, including Tuesday’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie at Barnsley and the following weekend’s league trip to Stevenage.

Explaining that decision, he said: “At the moment, I am just concentrating on York City. I have just moved up here and I am enjoying my football.

“York City made it known they wanted me to come here and play and I just want to repay them for that by playing well week in, week out.

“I’ve played in all the games so far and I might have to give this set of internationals a miss. We will then see where we are for the next ones.”

McCoy spent four years with tomorrow’s visitors before moving on at the end of last season and, while he is looking forward to seeing old pals again, he insisted that any pleasantries will only be exchanged after the match if his new club have taken maximum points.

“I’ve still got quite a lot of friends there and it will be a good day, but nobody will be friends come 3pm tomorrow,” he explained. “I’ve never played against a former club before, but I have played against friends because you have a lot of them in football.

“You just have to be professional in that situation because that’s what you are out on the pitch for, as they are. Hopefully, we will get the three points and then we can have a chat afterwards.”

Having played alongside and under Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth, McCoy is also expecting the flanks to provide a key battleground in tomorrow’s contest.

“I know Gaz well and, having been a winger, he always likes his wide men to get down the line and put crosses in,” the City full-back revealed. “So, if me and Femi (Ilesanmi) can do a good job on their wingers, that will stand us in good stead for a win.”

While outlining a couple of his former employers’ threats, McCoy added that he expects the Minstermen to pose their own problems against the Chairboys, who have taken nine points from a possible 12 during the new campaign.

“Matt McClure is a goalscorer up front and Max Kretzschmar is a young midfielder who is pretty good,” he admitted. “Gaz worked very hard with them in pre-season and they’ve had a good start but I’m just concentrating on York City, rather than what they are doing.

“I am confident enough in my team-mates to believe that we can cause them one or two problems and get that first win tomorrow.”

After being on Wycombe’s books from 2010 to 2014 before being released in May, McCoy will be looking, meanwhile, to remind tomorrow’s visitors of his worth, explaining: “Football’s a very opinionated game, so you always have a point to prove in every game.

“Somebody might think you are a good player and someone might think you’re not. I will just be going out to do my best and prove any doubters wrong.”

City are yet to taste victory five fixtures into the new campaign but have drawn four of those matches and McCoy’s only real disappointment has been the failure to keep any of those opening opponents off the scoresheet.

“I have been pleased with my performances and, as a team, we’ve done well but, unfortunately, conceded a few late goals in games we have dominated,” he reasoned. “As a defender, you always pride yourself on clean sheets but, other than that, the performances have been good.”

The Minstermen’s back line enjoyed 14 shut-outs from their final 18 matches of last term before goalkeeper Nick Pope and full-backs Lanre Oyebanjo and Ben Davies departed in the summer.

McCoy, though, feels he can help the team rediscover that miserly form.

“The team had a strong foundation before I came here but I don’t feel any pressure because of that and I believe I will only make it better,” he said. “I have to go in with that attitude to breed confidence in the team.”