ANTHONY Straker will get a second chance to launch his York City career at the start of next season.

The 26-year-old winger, who spent the final four months of last term on loan at Scottish Premier Division outfit Motherwell, has avoided being placed on the Bootham Crescent transfer list unlike Lindon Meikle, Marvin McCoy, Jason Mooney and Femi Ilesanmi, who also fell out of favour under Russ Wilcox after he succeeded former City chief Nigel Worthington.

Wilcox believes that Straker, who has played at full back in the past as well as in an attacking role on the flank, could prosper should the Minstermen continue with the 3-5-2 formation that was employed for the final nine games of the 2014/15 campaign.

Northern Ireland international Josh Carson, along with the unfancied Ilesanmi, are the other contenders for City's left-sided role in that system and Wilcox is hoping Straker can rediscover the form that saw him share last season's August Press Player of the Month award with Michael Coulson following his move from Southend, where he had featured in the Sky Bet League Two play-offs.

Ealing-born Straker has also won eight international caps for Grenada having played for England under 18s whilst on Crystal Palace's books ten years ago.

He headed north of the border at the end of January, having made nine starts in 14 appearances for the Minstermen.

At Motherwell, meanwhile, he played 13 times, including twice from the bench and a 20-minute cameo in the Fir Park outfit's 3-1 first-leg, play-off victory over Rangers, watched by 49,200 fans at Ibrox.

On his hopes for a Straker resurgence, Wilcox said: "When I saw him join York from the outside last summer, I thought it was a really good signing as he had been outstanding for Southend against my Scunthorpe team the season before and the change in system might suit him, although it's not set in stone that we will be playing 3-5-2 next season. I think you can see him ticking the box as a wing-back, probably more so than he does as a winger or a full-back in a 4-4-2 formation, so that gives me food for thought.

"It will be a fresh start for him and I am looking forward to my first pre-season as manager and seeing how everybody responds to it."

With Straker's stint at Motherwell having only finished on Sunday, though, he will be not be required to report to Bootham Crescent a week ahead of the official start to pre-season like the rest of the squad.

"He's going to have some family time now because it's been a long season for him," Wilcox explained. "Motherwell have managed to retain their Premier Division status and he will have a little break and come back and join us on July 1.

"He won't be coming in for our testing day on June 25 because his season didn't finish until May 31, so he needs a bit longer off to recharge."