SCOTT Flinders will not be fazed playing in front of hoards of his former club's fans when Hartlepool visit York City tomorrow.

The 29-year-old goalkeeper, who joined the Minstermen this summer from the Victoria Ground outfit, won Player of the Year awards, captained the side and set a new all-time clean sheet record during six years at Hartlepool.

He is hopeful that past will be recognised by the away supporters come 3pm at Bootham Crescent but is prepared if that's not the case, having also run the gauntlet of a big and boisterous Bradford following during Tuesday night's Capital One Cup victory.

Flinders, who turned down a new deal with Pool before putting pen to paper for the Minstermen, said: "I can't see why I shouldn't get a good reception from the Hartlepool fans. I was captain there last season during the Great Escape but what will be, will be.

"People always ask me if I like getting stick but some of the comments you hear are quite funny. I would rather have a big crowd behind me than one man and his dog and they will bring a really good following, especially with the start they have had.

"They're a great set of fans up there who back their team to the hilt but I'm sure our home supporters will get right behind us too."

Flinders was a member of the Hartlepool team that secured their Football League status on the final day of last season but, having started the new campaign with two consecutive wins, he expects them to be a different proposition this time around during a first full term under Ronnie Moore.

"They've got a great manager in Ronnie," he argued. "He's been around the block and knew what he wanted in the off season.

"It looks like he got his wish and it certainly can't get any worse than it did last season, so all the best to them. I've got many friends up there but my objective is to get three points for York City.

"We don't want a gap to emerge in the table early on when games are coming thick and fast. I had a brilliant time there, but I'm at a different team now and it's an exciting time at York City."

On the threats his old team will pose, meanwhile, Flinders added: "Their stand-out player at the moment is Billy Paynter.

"He's had a couple of years when he's not had the best of support from managers but Ronnie will back him to the hilt. Nicky Featherstone's a great player too, so they've got some good players, but so have we."

Flinders' relationship with his new club's supporters was done no harm when he saved two penalties on his home debut in this week's shoot-out success against Bradford in front of the David Longhurst Stand.

He had finished on the losing side during the last three occasions he was involved in spot-kick deciders against Bradford again, Sheffield United and Bristol Rovers but remained modest about the role he played in Tuesday's triumph.

"When it comes to penalty shoot-outs, it's all off the cuff and you have to rely on luck really as a goalkeeper sometimes," he said. "I maybe should have saved three, but I was happy with two.

"There were some good penalties and the one that Josh (Carson) scored for the winner was a great strike. Penalties are important through a season and that was a brilliant and confident start for the lads because Bradford's keeper Ben Williams had a good record with penalties and they've had some good Cup runs off the back of them."

Unlike City's penalty takers, Flinders also decided against penalty practice before the tie, revealing: "I don't like to face penalties in training and get the young keepers to do that. It's just my own way of doing things."

Despite more than a decade in the pro game, Flinders has only ever tackled two Premier League opponents in cup competition and, even then, his Hartlepool team were paired against unglamorous duo Wigan and Burnley.

On the possibility of facing a more high-profile side with City this season, Flinders said: "I've been knocked out in the first round of the League Cup quite a few times and we lost 6-1 at Port Vale last season, so it would be nice to get one of the big boys because, as a player, you want to test yourself against the best players.

"We had a brilliant programme of games in pre-season and did well against all those top teams, so that could give us a good footing as well."

Ahead of back-to-back home fixtures against Hartlepool and Yeovil, Flinders also reckons the club could benefit from boasting a new-look side with summer signings untarnished by the poor form at Bootham Crescent last season.

"We've got to make that home record the best we possibly can," he stressed. "I know it was quite poor last season and we've got to change that.

"There are new players here now and we had a decent record in pre-season. We can also take further confidence from Tuesday night."