DAVE WINFIELD does not know where his future lies but the recalled defender is determined to keep York City in the Football League.

The 27-year-old centre-back made his first appearance for the Minstermen since September during Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Accrington Stanley having been called back from his loan spell at Sky Bet League Two rivals AFC Wimbledon.

Winfield made as many appearances for the Wombles in just over a month as he has done for City all season following his summer move from Shrewsbury.

He is now hoping to salvage something from his first of two contracted seasons at Bootham Crescent during the campaign’s final five weeks and shelving all thoughts of what might happen next term.

“I’m not sure what the future holds,” Winfield admitted. “It’s not been a great season for myself but I am here and under contract so I will be training as hard as I can to do everything I can to turn that around during the next eight games.

“I enjoyed every minute of my time at Wimbledon and it went quite well. The boys were good and the coaching and managerial staff were brilliant.

“When you go out on loan, you try to integrate as much as you can and, just 48 hours before being recalled, I had signed an extension, but that’s how football goes. I was called back and, at the moment, I have to do everything I can to get us the results we need to get out of the position we’re in.”

While out on loan, Winfield was placed in the difficult position of watching Wimbledon take on his parent club with the former clinching the points following a deflected 90th-minute strike from Jack Smith.

On that experience, the Aldershot-born defender added: “Your loyalty is always to the club you are contracted to but it was hard because you get to know players on both sides and get on with some better than others. It was an unpleasant game for me to watch but a decent one in the end.”

Winfield reckons, meanwhile, that team spirit and morale has improved at Bootham Crescent since his mid-February departure for Kingsmeadow.

“Since I’ve been back, the training has been brighter and there’s more of a togetherness that I hadn’t necessarily seen previously,” he said. “I am very positive we can go on to get the results we need and have no doubt in my mind we will be looking up rather than down during coming weeks.”

Having experienced life at a Wimbledon team still in the hunt for a play-off spot, Winfield feels there is not too much to choose between their squad and the one at City.

“Sometimes it comes down to confidence and individual form and a mixture of that throughout the season has not helped us out but, now, we are just looking at the games to come,” he reasoned.

Winfield also stressed the Minstermen’s players were hurting just as much as the supporters, following the angry scenes at the end of last weekend’s match after Josh Windass’ deflected free-kick earned Accrington a share of the spoils at the death.

“As players, we can see how the fans react to things,” he explained.

“We’re not ignorant of that and we feel it just as much.

“Sometimes, we can’t show it as much as they do on the playing field because that’s not how profes - sionals deal with it. But, let me tell you, there were a lot of devastated people in that dressing room at Accrington.

“It was horrible and, when you lose points in that fashion having worked so hard to win the game, it’s not easy to take and we will be doing everything we can not to have that feeling again tomorrow.”

Winfield’s return to City’s starting XI coincided with the switch to a 3-4-1-2 formation, where he lined up alongside fellow centre-halves Keith Lowe and John McCombe at the back.

The trio only had one day to work on the tactical reshuffle but, with 919 senior appearances between them (Lowe 367, McCombe 317 and Winfield 235), the latter argued the new line-up was not unsettling.

He said: “The gaffer asked me, the week before I came back, if I had played that formation before.

All three of us had done and the system is all about communication and positional play.

“I thought we adapted to it well for the majority of the game and we were quite comfortable, so I was happy with how we did, but not surprised. If formations have to change, I am confident we can deal with that.

“We’ve all got a lot of games under our belt and I would be very surprised if anybody in the side had not played that system before at previous clubs. It was just a shame we didn’t get the result we desperately wanted.”

The 6ft 3in Winfield was flanked by his team-mates at the heart of the back three and feels that role suits his best, pointing out: “The last time I played in the formation was at Wycombe and I was in the centre of three there.

“I’ve played either side as well but I’m probably most comfortable in the middle because I am strongest aerially and I can use my communication skills to help to pull people into position.

“That’s slightly harder to do from the right or left but, if I need to play in those positions, I will do because I’m here to play football.”

Winfield is now hoping boss Russ Wilcox persists with the formation at Field Mill tomorrow, saying: “Obviously, it’s a plus for us as individuals if all three of us can play at the same time but, if the system continues to work, we should play it.

“You don’t fix what’s not broken, so we will see how it goes tomorrow if we stick with it.

“We’ve been working hard on shape this week and will be doing our best to come out with a positive result.”

Having played for Wimbledon at Mansfield just ten days ago, Winfield is also hoping his recent first-hand knowledge of tomorrow’s hosts can be of benefit to the team.

Reckoned Winfield: “I’m quite fortunate to have played them the Tuesday before I got called back so, as long as they don’t change things too much, I know their strengths and weaknesses and I should be able to direct the team and demand what we need from the game.”