NEW loan signing Asa Hall can be the man to compensate for the loss of Simon Lappin, according to York City boss Gary Mills.

Hall, 30, has arrived at Bootham Crescent in a one-month loan deal from Cheltenham, where he played 34 times and scored two goals during the Robins’ National League title-winning campaign last season.

He has not featured since October for the Gloucester outfit after suffering the recurrence of an Achilles problem but is eligible for Saturday’s FA Trophy quarter-final home clash against Brackley and is regarded as a like-for-like replacement for ex-Premier League midfield schemer Lappin, who has been sorely missed in the last two games after suffering a heel injury of his own that will keep him sidelined for the rest of the season.

On Hall's acquisition, which is subject to the relevant paperwork being completed, Mills said: “Asa played virtually every game during Cheltenham’s title-winning season, so both Dan Parslow and Amari Morgan-Smith know him very well and I know him as a player. They’ve been saying good things about us and he wanted to come straight away.

“We’ve thought long and hard over the last few weeks about bringing somebody in and, with Lapps going out of the side, I feel we’ve missed somebody to get on the ball and Asa has got two good feet and is capable of doing that. He’s experienced and had been playing regularly for Cheltenham this season until he picked up an injury and he’s been on the bench and played a few reserve games since then.

“All three of the players we have taken from Cheltenham know the level and, at 6ft 2in, Asa also has a presence. He gives us options because we could move Simon Heslop to right-wing back again now or move Sean Newton to left-sided centre back."

Along with his National League medal, Dudley-born Hall also won the Football League Trophy with Luton in 2009.

Following a 30-point deduction, the 6ft 2in midfielder was relegated that season into the Conference with the Hatters and suffered the same fate with Aldershot and Cheltenham, as well as going down from League One with Shrewsbury.

A former Birmingham City professional, the ex-England under-19 and under-20 international has also played for Boston United, Ashford Town and Oxford United and has 41 goals to his name in 331 professional appearances.

Mills is hoping to have centre-back Yan Klukowski back from a calf problem following a two-match absence to further strengthen the spine of his team, adding: “We’re 90 per cent positive Yan will be fit.

“We’ve not looked as solid without him in the team and, hopefully, with him back and Asa in there, we can get back to giving the opposition very few chances.”

Aidan Connolly, meanwhile, is expected to be named as a substitute again after making his first appearance from the bench for three months following injury during Tuesday night’s 3-1 home defeat to Gateshead.

“It was hard to judge him on Tuesday night,” Mills reasoned of Connolly’s half-hour cameo. “We tried to change things a couple of times to get him on the ball more, but never really got that extra pass into him, which we might have done if Simon Lappin was playing.

“He was scrapping for second balls more than anything, but it was great to get him out there and we’ll have to see where we go with him. With us playing three up front or five at the back, it makes the options a bit more difficult for him but, if we decide to change system and play two up front and we can get him fit and sharp, we know he can open teams up.”

Mills went on to stress that Northamptonshire part-timers Brackley cannot be taken lightly.

“I watched them last week and already know a few of their players,” he explained. “They’re a decent side who knocked Gillingham out of the FA Cup and have beaten Fylde in this competition.

“They’ve also still got an opportunity to reach the play-offs and we’ve got to make sure we don’t under-estimate them by approaching them in the same way we will do when we go to the league leaders Lincoln.”