YORK CITY boss Russ Wilcox has narrowed the Bootham Crescent pitch in a bid to try and find a solution to the club's woeful home form in recent seasons.

The Minstermen chief has employed a tactic successful during his time at Scunthorpe and fans arriving at tonight's pre-season friendly against Leeds United (kick off 7pm), or who watched the club's 1-0 defeat against Middlesbrough, will notice a tighter field of play.

City only won five games on home soil last season, a figure that contributed significantly to their League Two struggles. They secured just 25 points on their own ground and that was inflated by a run of three wins in four during April as they hauled themselves out of the relegation mire.

But Wilcox believes City's poor displays at Bootham Crescent extend far beyond the most recent term – noting the club have picked up only 21 wins there over the last three campaigns, one of which resulted in a run to the play-off semi-finals in 2012-13.

So he has moved in the touchlines in a bid to ensure his players can be quicker to the ball and to the opposition.

Wilcox confirmed: "We have narrowed the pitch. I just think we need to do better at Bootham Crescent.

"Over the last three seasons, there have been just 21 wins. Even the season when York got into the play-offs, they only had ten wins.

"We won five at home last year and we are trying to look at different ways to change that. It will hopefully allow us to get among teams more, which is what we need to do at home. We need to create pressure.

"We always found at Scunthorpe, which was a really tight, narrow pitch, that our home form was good.

"You have to put teams under pressure and we need to do that more at Bootham Crescent. You have to do that from the first whistle. Fingers crossed it works better than last year."

Wilcox is hoping a big crowd will see York face Leeds and, while stressing the fixture forms just a part of his overall plan to get his squad ready for Wycombe away in League Two on August 8, he would be delighted to see his team turn over Uwe Rosler's Championship challengers.

"It's a great fixture and I am pleased with all the games we have got in pre-season," he said.

"It is difficult for supporters to keep putting their hands in their pocket and we appreciate that after Saturday. A lot of York fans may have saved a little bit of cash for this game.

"We start every game to win. We don't just turn up and say 'let's concentrate on this'. It's the fitness but the confidence of a result as well.

"It's important. It gives everyone a bit more spring in their step if you can pick up some positive results as well – but the main focus has to be Wycombe away."

No decision has yet been made on whether Michael Coulson (Achilles), Jake Hyde (calf) and Emile Sinclair (thigh) will play any part against the Whites but Wilcox stressed that none will be risked if there any doubts over their fitness.

But Danny Johnson, a lively presence in the Middlesbrough game, and an unidentified trialist – rumoured to either be Callum Howe or Taron Hare, former Scunthorpe youth-team captains – are both likely to get another chance to impress.

"I am not sure," said Wilcox of his crocked trio. "It is difficult to say. Jeff (Miller, physio) will assess them again and we will put a plan in place for the next few games.

"They won't be risked (if there are doubts) – that is certain. The bottom line is that we are trying to get everyone through pre-season.

"There are ups and downs. You only have to look at Middlesbrough with Alex Baptiste. These things unfortunately do happen. Our main goal is to have everyone fit and available for Wycombe."