YORK City boss Colin Walker was thrilled by the double dip into the market to bolster his midfield for next season.

Weeks of negotiations finally sealed the deals of former Manchester United trainee Steven Hogg and one-time Hull City prospect Ben Wilkinson.

Both the midfielders' last club was Gretna, whose financial problems prompted a sad slide out of Scottish professional football after their one and only campaign in Scotland's premier division.

Gretna's loss would be City's gain maintained Walker, delighted he had convinced the 22-year-old Hogg and Wilkinson, who is a year younger and is the son of one-time Elland Road manager Howard Wilkinson, to join the Minstermen.

Each of the brace offered a variety of attacking options. a versatility welcome in Walker's multi-tasking' approach.

Walker said of Hogg, whose virtues were also extolled by Gretna's then director of football Mick Wadsworth, former manager of Scarborough: "The main reason he wants to come here is that he just wants to play football.

"He plays in midfield, normally operating on the left-hand side which will give us that ideal balance. But he can play in other positions.

"You need to have multi-tasking in this league. The big thing I have found in six months as a manager is that you have to have players with the ability to do more than one job.

"And at 6ft 3in tall he will help us to compete at this level. In the Conference you need to have height in your team."

Wilkinson is not a complete stranger to City. He began a trial spell with the Minstermen by bagging both goals in a 2-1 reserves' triumph over Sheffield United at KitKat Crescent last January. Before the trial ended he joined Gretna on loan playing in the last 13 games of the ill-starred solo sojourn in Scotland's elite division.

"Wilkinson can play across the midfield or just off the front men and he has an eye for goal. Whenever I saw him he was the player who always had the most shots on goal," said Walker.

The double capture also proved the worth of Walker's extensive scouting system in which he has a contact working north of the border to recommend talent to him.

City's main priority now in completing their squad ahead of the 2008/09 season is a proven striker after Hogg and Wilkinson joined Walker's two other summer recruits, defender Mark Greaves and goalkeeper Michael Ingham.