DAVID McDermott has been asked to strive for greater consistency after being offered a new contract by York City manager Gary Mills.

Former Kidderminster winger McDermott is set to sign a new deal to keep him at Bootham Crescent until the end of the season with midfielder Danny Racchi also agreeing to rejoin the club when the transfer window reopens in the New Year.

McDermott was originally signed on month-to-month terms by previous boss Martin Foyle after a successful pre-season trial.

He was released by caretaker boss Andy Porter, however, before being brought back to the club when Mills took charge in mid-October.

Stourbridge-born McDermott then started six successive matches under Mills but has been named as substitute in all but one of the last five fixtures with the exception being the 1-0 FA Trophy defeat to Boston.

City boss Mills said: “David McDermott and Danny Racchi have both been offered contracts until the end of the season. They have both accepted and will be putting pen to paper.

“David is good on the ball and can cause defences problems.

“He’s also got good feet and can play on the right, left or in the middle so he’s a good player to have at the club but, at the age of 22 now, he’s played a lot of football and needs to be more consistent.

“I’ve spoken to him about that and I hope he realises that he now needs to be performing week in, week out.

“He’s got the ability but now it’s down to having the mental strength of wanting to play how he can on a regular basis.”

While McDermott and Racchi should see the New Year in with City, two players likely to be on their way out are Duane Courtney and Michael Gash.

Neither have started a game since Mills’ first match in charge with right-back Courtney still on the transfer list and £55,000 striker Gash unable to break back into the squad after being challenged to improve his fitness levels.

Mills added: “Duane is still on the list. There are also a couple of clubs interested in taking Michael Gash during the transfer window and there’s no point in me saying he has been involved here, because he hasn’t, so we will have to see what happens.

“We will only reduce the squad when the timing is right though. Jimmy Sangare was a player I did not want to lose this week but he felt the timing was right for him to go to Morocco.”

• There is a pitch inspection later today to decide whether City’s Blue Square Bet premier game at Altrincham beats the weather’s icy grip.