ADRIANO Moke wants to mentor rookie Theo Wharton rather than treat him as a rival for his York City starting place.

Former Cardiff reserve Wharton has deputised for Moke in the Minstermen’s midfield anchor role during the latter’s one-month absence due to a pulled thigh muscle.

Wharton’s City debut at Spennymoor represented his first professional start at the age of 22 and Moke, who is five years his senior, intends to nurture the St Kitts & Nevis international, having benefited from a similar relationship when former Bootham Crescent team-mate Andre Boucaud offered him guidance in 2011.

Back then, Moke was fresh out of the Glenn Hoddle Academy having been released by the likes of Manchester United, Leeds and Nottingham Forest as a youngster.

But former Peterborough playmaker and Trinidad & Tobago international Boucaud, who is now 32 and playing for Dagenham & Redbridge, took Moke under his wing and his influence can now be seen in the Minstermen midfielder’s style of play.

Boucaud was renowned for his ability to retain possession in a City shirt and Moke’s capacity to emulate the past pass-master has been recognised in recent weeks with a new song on the terraces.

To the tune of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September,’ Moke has been hailed because ‘He never gives the ball away’ by the Minstermen faithful and, on the importance of senior players providing an example during those key formative years, the ex-Wrexham and Macclesfield midfielder added: “It’s always frustrating when you’re not involved and are watching games like I’ve been, so it’s good to be back.

“But, at the same time, I’ve been happy for the boys, especially somebody like Theo, who has been playing my role really well. I like to help the youngsters at the club now and he’s somebody who I try to give advice to, along with the youth-team players, because I want them to look at me as a good role model. I’m more mature now and I’ve grown up and learnt more.

“I had professional footballers helping me out early in my career, so I want to do the same. People like Michael Ingham and Andre, especially, helped me a lot.

“I play a bit similar to Andre now and he taught me when to pass and how to deal with sticky situations.”

Moke is hoping, meanwhile, to quickly regain the early-season form that marked him out as a key contributor this term prior to his enforced lay-off, saying: “I was happy with my performances, but you get injuries in football.

“Hopefully, though, if given a chance, I want to carry on where I left off and help push the team on.”

That opportunity could come straight away at Harrogate Town on Saturday and, if that’s the case, he will have no concerns about playing on a 3G pitch that his manager Gary Mills feels will suit his passing game.

On the synthetic surface, Moke insisted: “It doesn’t really matter. It’s just another pitch.

“Harrogate will be more used to it, but that doesn’t faze me, because we’ve played on some bobbly ones before this season and I feel comfortable on any surface.”

Nor is Moke discouraged by table-topping Harrogate’s free-scoring start to the season, arguing that City are beginning to answer questions posed against them with a run of three wins from four unbeaten games and all of their last three goals coming in the second half of games after only five had been from the previous 18.

“A lot of people have been saying we’ve started first halves well and then gone off a bit in the second half, but we did really well at Salford to win 2-1 and have got to keep that going now because we need that consistency,” Moke confessed. “Harrogate have been doing really well and we know that, but we have been doing really well and we’ll worry about ourselves, not other teams, by giving it our all.”