YORK City boss Martin Gray has challenged more fringe players to emulate James Gray and Josh Law by coming back from the cold with a bang.

Law played a role in Gray’s 90th-minute winner during Tuesday’s dramatic 3-2 home triumph over Southport, even though neither player had featured in a City match since January with the latter even loaned out to Tamworth during the intervening period.

But, with Simon Heslop completing his two-match suspension during Saturday’s home match with Chorley and Alex Kempster, Louis Almond and Alex Pattison joining Jon Parkin in the treatment room, opportunity could knock for others whose recent first-XI opportunities have been limited.

Pattison is expected to be fit to face Chorley after limping off in midweek and the prognosis on Kempster and Almond’s hamstring problems is better than initially feared but, stressing the importance of every contracted professional, Gray pointed out: “We’ve got a good squad and players get injured.

“Chorley have also got two players suspended, so everybody is in the same position at this stage of the season, because the window is closed so you can’t go out and get players in. It’s important how you manage the squad off the pitch and it’s never just about the starting XI – it’s about everybody.

“Josh Law came back in and put in a really good performance. It’s good when players come back in and make a difference and he’s got to keep doing that now to stay in the team.

“With James Gray, he was a bundle of energy when he first came to the club but, having gone so long without scoring that first goal, he probably needed to get out of the building for a month and it did him some good.”

With the absentee list potentially growing, Gray is ready to bring Clovis Kamdjo back into the squad for the first time since he suffered cruciate and anterior ligament damage in November 2016, should a slight groin problem clear up.

Kamdjo scored his second goal in six reserve outings during the last two months and the City boss added: “He’s a big, powerful lad who is starting to come more and more in to what we are looking at, so I’d have no concern about putting him on the bench this weekend at all and, hopefully, he can play a part between now and the end of the season.

“He’s a really tough, honest character and I likes his personality. He doesn’t say a lot, but his actions speak louder than words.”

Gray has also moved to allay any fears that 25-goal top-scorer Parkin’s season could be over following knee surgery this week.

“I had a cartilage operation and played 13 days afterwards,” the ex-Sunderland and Oxford midfielder declared. “You come back as quickly as your body is prepared to heal and Jon will have had quite a few of these small operations before.”

Gray was encouraged, meanwhile, by his side’s potency without Parkin against Southport.

The Minstermen have managed to plunder 14 goals in the six matches Parkin has missed this term, including five and four against Bradford Park Avenue and Nuneaton respectively.

“You always wonder how people are going to react when you lose somebody who has scored as many goals as Jon and the impact that has on the opposition,” Gray reasoned. “They can think they’ve got more of a chance, so it was refreshing to get three goals – all from attacking players.”

Chorley’s games this term have only resulted in a combined goals-against-and-conceded tally of 67, which is 23 fewer than any other team in National League North.

But, with the Lancashire outfit four points adrift of the play-off positions and eight behind fifth-placed City with two games in hand, Gray is anticipating a possible different tactical approach to their norm.

“They’re usually always the same – solid, defensive and a hard nut to crack – but they need as many points as they can get now and I expect them to be on the front foot. They’ll have no fear coming here, because they’ve beaten York once already this season and will be looking forward to playing at our ground, so we’re expecting a tough game.”

Gray went on to admit that the team would pay particular attention to former Bootham Crescent favourite Jason Walker should he feature for the visitors.

The 34-year-old forward remains the quickest player in City’s history to reach double figures in a season after netting for the tenth time on October 1 during the club’s glorious 2011/12 campaign and Gray - a long-time admirer - revealed: “I tried to sign him about a year ago for Darlington and he’s a lively player who has good movement and jumps well for a little one.

“His all-round game is really good and he’ll have a point to prove coming to his old club, so he’ll need to be respected if he plays.”