YORK City boss Gary Mills has admitted that Vadaine Oliver persuaded him to switch to a 3-4-3 formation at Aldershot.

Oliver was handed his first City start in nine months at the Recreation Ground, having spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Notts County, with Mills explaining that accommodating his return to first XI duty was a key factor in his tactical change.

The 25-year-old forward was employed on the right side of a front three against the Shots and, having left the club in a cloud over the summer following a perceived lack of effort last season, went on to win The Press’ man-of-the-match award for a whole-hearted display.

On the reasons behind Oliver’s recall and a shift away from 3-5-2, Mills explained: “Vadaine made me change it really. He got in my head after what we’d seen from him in training, where he’d been working really well.

“Myself and Cask (football consultant Darren Caskey) then decided what system to play. He gives us another threat in the box when he gets up in the air and a front three of Jon Parkin, Amari Morgan-Smith and Vadaine Oliver is pretty good in my book.”

That striking triumvirate will be broken up for Saturday’s FA Trophy trip to Nuneaton, with Jon Parkin suspended for a game following his stoppage-time red card at the weekend.

It means the Minstermen could revert back to their previous formation, as Mills decides between the likes of Aidan Connolly, Scott Fenwick, Johan ter Horst, Danny Holmes, Adriano Moke and, if fit, Shaun Rooney to replace Parkin.

“It’s a Trophy game and we’ll have to decide how we set up at Nuneaton,” Mills reasoned. “It could be that one of the other strikers comes in as a third forward instead of Jon up there or we bring in another midfielder.

“Aidan Connolly is back now and we could put him in front of the two midfielders, so we’ve got options that involve bringing in good players. We’ll miss Jon, because he’s done superbly well for us, but we know there are other people who can come in and do a job.”