SPORTING director Dave Penney believes York City now have a stronger squad than the one manager Martin Gray inherited at the start of October.

The Minstermen travel to Telford tomorrow, aiming to extend their longest winning run since April 2014 to a fifth game, with Penney satisfied with the current options - both on the field and in the dugout.

City defeated play-off rivals Bradford Park Avenue 2-1 at the weekend despite December Player of the Month Alex Pattison’s return to parent club Middlesbrough, whilst a second-half goal from substitute Amari Morgan-Smith effectively settled matters, prior to Adam Boyes’ stoppage-time reply.

On an improvement in the competition for places at Bootham Crescent, Penney reasoned: “Before the 11 picked itself and, if you had a poor game, you weren’t going to lose your place.

“You were never going to leave Dan Parslow or Hamza Bencherif out for Jassem Sukar. Whether they were playing well or not, they were always going to play.

“There was perhaps only Michael Rankine who could change games from outside the 11 and Sam Muggleton was used for his long throw. The other players on the bench, who are not here anymore, were not really affecting things.

“Now, we have 16 or 17 players who can do that and, if you don’t play well, you come out of the team – it’s as simple as that.”

Penney admitted, though, that City’s management team are still undecided whether Morgan-Smith is better being introduced into matches, than he is when starting games.

In between two goals as a substitute, the former Luton and Cheltenham attacker fired blanks in four matches as a first XI choice and, on the Morgan-Smith conundrum, Penney said: We’re looking for people to chip in outside of Big Jon and Amari got a goal on Saturday.

“He does well coming off the bench and it’s all about whether it’s better for him to impact a game that way. Sometimes, it’s easier to come on as a sub.

“You don’t have that expectation level on you from the beginning of matches. You just need to come on and try and change a game, which he has done a few times.”

Penney went on to confirm that former skipper Simon Heslop would be part of the travelling party for Shropshire after recovering from a groin and hamstring issue.

City chief Gray had previously suggested he would not consider Heslop for selection after he was informed the ex-Wrexham midfielder did not want to play for the Minstermen anymore, but that situation has now been resolved, with Penney adding: “Simon Heslop has trained and will come into the squad, but it’s up to the manager who he picks and chooses.

“Everything in the past is done and dusted and we’re paying his wages, so we would be foolish not to use him. If you’re not using personnel in any business, then you’re daft and he’s a good footballer – I don’t care what anybody says.”

Heslop, 30, will mean another seasoned campaigner in the squad with Penney hoping experience can count against a Telford side who played an 18-year-old keeper Ryan Schofield in goal and 19-year-old defenders Ryan Leak and Connor Johnson in a back three during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at table-topping Salford.

“Jon’s a handful for anybody and Raul did OK at the weekend, while Amari did great when he came on,” Penney said of the forward options City have at their disposal to exploit any naivety in the hosts’ ranks.

“With the experience we’ve got, we should be doing well in this league and I also include the likes of Sean Newton, Dan Parslow, Hamza Bencherif and Adam Bartlett in that, although you need some freshness and young legs around too, because you don’t want too many old men in the team.”

Victory at the New Bucks Head would lift City into their highest league position of the season by climbing into fourth spot, but Penney does not want anybody to get ahead of themselves, insisting: “We’re not looking too far forward and just want another three points tomorrow.”

On the continued bid to bring Pattison back to Bootham Crescent, meanwhile, Penney revealed: “He didn’t play in Middlesbrough’s under-23 game at the weekend, because I think Tony Pulis wanted to have a look at some more senior players and the situation is still the same.

“We’re nagging them to ask if we can have him back, but we might have to wait and see whether anybody takes him from the Football League before the transfer window shuts at the end of January.”