YORK City manager Gary Mills has challenged his players to prove they have a future at Bootham Crescent.

The Minstermen, who were relegated from the Football League this summer, are only three points clear of the relegation zone in the National League.

But Mills now has three games in the space of the next eight days to help decide who is up to the task of steering the club forward.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's home game against Chester, Mills confirmed that he was looking to off-load up to TEN players.

He has also axed two members of the club's backroom staff this week - fitness coach Adi Hammond and performance analyst James Fisk.

"Players will always come in and go out - but I haven't got three, five, or six weeks to give these players a chance," he said. "I am hoping the fans might see a change in some players on Saturday and say 'he's never played like that this season' because that is important.

"Some players will possibly respond better to me than they did the last manager. If they don't, there will be changes. But I want to give them the opportunity, I want to make them believe," he added.

Mills, who won promotion to the Football League four years ago during his first spell as manager, returned last weekend when manager Jackie McNamara moved 'upstairs' to become chief executive.

He was immediately plunged into an FA Cup replay against part-timers Curzon Ashton - which York lost 2-1 - and has spent the last three days preparing for the forthcoming games against Chester, Southport, and Sutton United.

"In training, what I am seeing are players getting to know what their jobs are," he said. "My first impressions are that they were not really too sure what their jobs are and the way that they were going to play. We need to be organised and disciplined and kick on.

"It would have been great to have had two or three weeks to assess everything - but we have three massive games," Mills said. "The players have got to go out and pick up points in these three games and then we have a two week break.

"The break might be a blessing in disguise," he added. "Maybe, when we go to Eastleigh (after the break), the team will be a lot stronger in their mentality and playing better football than it has been."

A major overhaul of York's playing squad this summer had resulted in McNamara assembling a squad of 29 players including three goalkeepers.

However, Mills is still keen to sign a new striker in the next 24 hours after getting the go-ahead to strengthen from owner Jason McGill.

"I don't like to work with big squads and the squad is too big," he admitted. "As ruthless as it sounds, the squad is probably about 10 too big. All over the park I need players showing me that I don't have to go and address certain areas. It's down to them.

"There is no movement at the moment but that could change," he said. "Talk to any manager and they always want another striker. It might be a case of needing a little bit more than another striker - but it's an area that is very important."

Chesterfield striker Rai Simons had been linked with a loan move to Bootham Crescent but Mills yesterday admitted that the deal was not going to happen.

Goalkeeper Scott Flinders has returned to the club at the end of his loan spell with Macclesfield Town.

Mills is looking for a goalkeeper to leave the club and is expected to recall the fit again Kyle Letheren tomorrow.

Meanwhile, talks are still taking place with Mills' former assistant at Wrexham, Darren Caskey, about joining the backroom team.