YORK City defender Dave Winfield's head injury is not as bad as first feared but he will be ruled out of this weekend's Sky Bet League Two trip to Leyton Orient.

Winfield was left motionless in the City penalty box after an aerial clash during Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Plymouth and, following lengthy treatment, the 27-year-old centre back was stretchered out of Bootham Crescent wearing an oxygen mask.

But he was discharged from hospital later that night and, while doctors' orders dictate that he cannot feature against the O's on Saturday, his concussion was not as severe as that suffered by Luke Summerfield in September at Notts County.

Summerfield has only just returned to training after almost two months on the sidelines but City boss Jackie McNamara is encouraged by Winfield's prognosis, saying: "He was discharged from hospital late on Saturday evening but he's had concussion and a couple of days off.

"The physio (Jeff Miller) has also said he won't be involved at the weekend and then we'll take things from there."

On Summerfield's return to the club's Wigginton Road training base, meanwhile, McNamara added: "He's done some stuff with the first team this week without any contact.

"We've just had him floating about in free roles during little games and we're also trying to get his fitness levels up. I've seen clips of him in action and, just in the little bit of training he's done with us as well, you can see he can play, pass the ball and has good vision."

City had hoped to play Northern Counties East League neighbours Tadcaster Albion in a reserves friendly this evening but the Ings Lane pitch is waterlogged, leaving McNamara without a chance to run the rule over the squad's fringe players.

The Minstermen chief had also planned to give Jonathan Greening more minutes on the pitch in the match after the 36-year-old veteran made his first professional outing in 18 months during the second half of Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Plymouth and, on the postponement, McNamara admitted: "It would have given us the chance to look at the players I haven't seen in a game yet and also get match fitness into those that need it.

"On the other hand, it gives everybody that extra day of training because, with my first week being Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday, I've not had too much time to work things through with them."

The former Dundee United manager is also keen to organise further second-string fixtures with the club still not belonging to an organised reserve league

"Reserve games are important," he reasoned. "They give me the opportunity to look at players and see things.

"It's also important for players to get games of football and keep them involved. They need to be ready if changes are made to the team because of injury, suspension or form too."