VADAINE Oliver is attracting interest from Football League clubs after returning to York City from his half-season long loan spell at Notts County.

The 25-year-old forward missed last weekend’s 2-1 FA Trophy triumph at Harlow – the first game following the end of his stint with the Magpies – through illness, but is in contention for a place in the Minstermen’s squad for Saturday’s National League home match with Barrow.

City boss Gary Mills, meanwhile, has been impressed with Oliver’s attitude in training.

“Vadaine has recovered from his illness and has trained well this week,” Mills pointed out. “People told me he didn’t used to smile, but he has done this week.

“We’ve had a couple of league clubs show an interest in him and he knows that, as does his agent, but he’s not expressed a desire to leave and whilst he’s here he has to work hard and he is doing.”

Shaun Rooney has also been declared fit, having trained all week, despite turning his ankle during the latter stages at Harlow.

Ahead of the Bootham Crescent meeting with Barrow, Mills went on to insist that he would not be reading too much into the sixth-placed side’s recent indifferent league form, reasoning that the Cumbrians were probably distracted by their involvement in the third round of the FA Cup.

The City boss added, though, that he expects his players to be equipped with the necessary qualities to contend with the physical challenge the visitors are likely to pose.

“Southport probably caught Barrow at a good time when they beat them last Tuesday, as the game was around their FA Cup tie against Rochdale,” Mills reasoned. “It was a shock result for them and a poor one for ourselves.

“They’ve had a couple of results they wouldn’t be pleased about recently, but that doesn’t make any difference to the fact they’re having a good season and Paul Cox’s sides will always be tough to play against. They will have a few 6ft 5in-plus players and he’s done well with that kind of approach to the game.

“But we also play slightly differently now to how I might normally set up. We’re a strong team and are more than capable of going to battle with any team.

“We’ve shown aggression in the last few games and we can fight any side that is put in front of us and win that fight. Whether we’re playing Harlow or Barrow now, I feel I’ve got a squad of players who can win football matches now.

“We will have to be at our best to do that in the remaining games, although when people talk about our tough games coming up, I’ve never known a tough game in this league really.”

City remain bottom of the table – five points from a position of safety – but Mills has instructed his team not to look at the league standings.

“I’ve told the players not to look at the league – I know they will do – but I don’t want them to, because that will only lead to negatives,” he explained. “I believe we are as good a team, if not better than Dover now, who are sitting fifth.

“We haven’t been over the course of the season and that’s what the table tells us but I know, if the players do their jobs now, we will win games, so they have to go and do that.”

Mills is also hoping he can count on the full support of City fans during the club’s remaining home fixtures, saying: “We’ve all got to keep positive so, if that first ball goes out of play against Barrow, let’s not highlight it and make it worse than it is.

“If it happened a few weeks ago, then it would have probably been because we weren’t good enough, but we are now.”