YORK City boss Jackie McNamara will accept "no excuses" if his team come unstuck on Maidstone's artificial pitch during Saturday's National League curtain raiser.

The Kent hosts have upgraded their synthetic turf to 4G standard over the summer and will be playing on the new surface for only the second time following a 1-1 pre-season draw with Concord Rangers.

City, meanwhile, have spent two days, prior to their journey south, training on Harrogate Town's new 3G pitch, where McNamara's men also played a friendly game last month.

The Minstermen chief feels, therefore, that the appropriate preparation for a 12.15pm kick off has been overseen and insisted: "There will be no excuses if things don't work out for us.

"Everyone has played on these surfaces before and we've just had two days training on Harrogate's pitch. There can be differences in the way the ball bounces on these pitches, but the one at Harrogate came from the same company, so should be very similar and we must be spot on with how we pass the ball and move it quickly."

McNamara has also stressed the importance of getting City's travelling army of supporters onside with a positive display, as the ex-Scotland chief targets his first away victory since taking the Bootham Crescent helm last November.

Fans expressed their anger as the team tumbled out of the Football League last term and McNamara admitted: "I want to send our fans home happy. It's important to get them behind us right away and get the momentum going.

"They are used to winning, but the expectation will be on us to go there, perform and win. We will be seen as a scalp this season and it's important we go about things in the right manner and do our jobs properly."

McNamara is also calling on his players to be inspired by the presence of BT Sports live cameras, adding: "It's a chance for the lads to showcase their skills and show how good they are as footballers.

"Some might not have experienced it before, but you've got to embrace it and be professional to get the three points."

Lanre Oyebanjo, who played no part in City's pre-season friendlies but is back in training, is unlikely to be risked at the Gallagher Stadium with McNamara reasoning: "We have to be careful with him, because he is still feeling a bit of discomfort underneath his calf muscle."

Fellow full-back Ben Barber is definitely ruled out as he continues his recovery from a hamstring problem, while Danny Galbraith (heel) and Reece Thompson (stomach bug) are also sidelined.

Daniel Nti, meanwhile, will serve a one-match ban and Franklyn Clarke is suspended for the opening four fixtures - a punishment, hanging over from last season following a red card for violent conduct, that has only just been confirmed.

"That suspension was a bit late coming in, so we didn't expect it, but you just have to get on with it," McNamara said. "The squad is there to cater for these kind of problems and we have two players for each position in the team."

The City chief went on to confess that running the rule over Maidstone had presented problems ahead of the opening fixture, but that the club's continued subscription to the Wyscout service should alleviate such concerns when the campaign gets underway. "We've done a bit of homework on them in terms of how they will approach the game," he revealed. "We've analysed the system they are likely to play and I don't think we will need to change ours, so it will be important for us to get on the front foot and not drop too deep.

"It's hard, though, when you're trying to get information from friendlies and it will be easier once the season gets going. We are using Wyscout again - the same as last season.

"The majority of teams are signed up to it in the Football League and you can get every game in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland analysed on there. It didn't cover the National League last season, but they have approached the clubs now and quite a few have paid for it.

"It means you can get footage of games and a full analysis of set-pieces, styles of play, strengths and weaknesses. It's also useful for scouting players."