YORK City boss Russ Wilcox has got his man after being knocked back following initial attempts to bring Oldham striker Rhys Turner to Bootham Crescent.

Turner has featured in eight of the Latics' nine games this season and ex-City defender and coach Darren Kelly refused to sanction a move away from Lancashire for the former Stockport County forward.

But Kelly's dismissal as Oldham boss at the weekend has seen a change of heart under new chief David Dunn and Turner has joined the Minstermen for an initial one-month loan deal.

On his pursuit of Turner, Wilcox said: "I've watched him during the last two pre-seasons against Newcastle last summer and Halifax this summer and he impressed me in both games, so I've been monitoring his progress. He's had three starts for Oldham already this season and people don't tend to let out strikers at this stage of the year.

"I asked Darren Kelly when he was manager if we could take him and the answer was no, but that became a yes with the change of manager and that's great new for York City."] Wilcox added that the York-born attacker can play as a wide man in a 4-3-3 formation, as well as an orthodox centre-forward, explaining: "He could play in a front two or three. Good players are adaptable and I believe he is a good player.

"He is quick and we've got lots of pace at that end of the pitch now, which means we will have game changers off the bench. We've probably been missing that due to the injuries for Michael Coulson and Jake Hyde."

The City boss also reckons that Turner's arrival will send out a message, ahead of Saturday's home match with Carlisle, that the team must continue to build on their promising results at Newport (3-0) and Stevenage (2-2), having failed to go three matches unbeaten yet this season.

"It's a great time to bring somebody in on the back of taking four points from six away from home and scoring five goals through five different players," he reasoned. "It keeps everybody on their toes and is a little jolt to make sure everybody knows we want to move into that top half of the table and push on."

Wilcox went on to stress that he would be looking to take the game to a Carlisle team who, unusually, have scored AND conceded the most goals in Sky Bet League Two this term.

"I look at them and think it must be a great time to be a Carlisle fan," Wilcox said with the Cumbrians also looking forward to a Capital One Cup trip to Liverpool on Wednesday. "Seven games into the season, they have seen 30 goals - 15 for and 15 against - which is a crazy stat.

"Only Newport have conceded as many goals, so we've got to get on the front foot and attack them. It's always said that attack is the best form of defence and I think that will be the way to go.

"They've had a 4-4 this season and a couple of 3-2s, so hopefully this game will be more entertaining than the one we had here last season, which ended 0-0."

Well-travelled striker Jabo Ibehre has already netted ten times for the Brunton Park outfit this term and, while Wilcox will be making his players aware of the 32-year-old's threat, he will not be looking intimidate his defenders either, explaining: "Ten goals in mid-September is a remarkable return for a player who, let's be honest, has done the rounds but he has great experience and his strength and pace will be a handful.

"We have spoken about him, but it's also important not to concentrate too much on him because he's not Lionel Messi. I know myself, as a former centre-half, you can build a striker up saying he's this and that and it can lead to a bit of fear in the team. I also know that we can give anybody a game in this league if we perform how we can and have done in the last two games."

With Carlisle expected to line up 3-5-2, Wilcox is pondering whether to match that system or put the visitors under pressure with the 4-3-3 formation that he finished with during last weekend's 2-2 draw at Stevenage.

He must also decide whether to recall skipper Russell Penn, who came off the bench in Hertfordshire, with Marvin McCoy and Eddie Nolan the players whose places could be most under threat.

"It's a really good dilemma and Russ has looked as good as I've seen him with his toe injury," Wilcox said. "We've been switching people around to keep the players on their toes in training but the good thing is I know whichever 11 players I put out will have quality and we will also have strength in depth as well."