YORK City manager Martin Foyle is committed to keeping a flat back four as his team look to stay among the Blue Square Premier pace-setters.

With talented centre-back trio David McGurk, Daniel Parslow and Djoumin Sangare all currently vying for places in the starting 11, Foyle has so far resisted the temptation to accommodate all three in a 5-3-2 formation.

That will remain the case during this afternoon’s home match against Oxford and also future fixtures, although the City chief continues to be concerned with how his two central midfielders cope against the growing trend to play 4-3-3 in non-League football’s highest echelon.

Leaders Oxford are set to use that system this afternoon but Foyle said: “I wouldn’t go 5-3-2 against 4-3-3 because you would be sitting back and might never get out. I always like my back four and I wouldn’t change that.

“You can maybe play a diamond or play four up front but I think the players find it easier to defend as a back four. The 4-3-3 teams have given us problems but it’s been because certain personnel have switched off and we’ve worked on that.”

Foyle, meanwhile, has accepted defeat for a second week in his bid to bring in loan cover for injured striker Michael Gash, who is expected to be sidelined for another three weeks after suffering a metatarsal injury.

He added: “I’ve been trying very hard and I feel a bit like a punch bag at the moment because I keep getting knocked back, but you can only keep trying. People don’t want their players cup-tied and we might be playing two cup games in two weeks shortly so I don’t want to bring somebody in who can’t play much football.”

• CITY’S juniors will travel to Grimsby Town in the FA Youth Cup first round, to be played in the week beginning November 2, if they beat Scarborough Town on Wednesday night.