YORK City boss Gary Mills wants to relieve Aidan Connolly of his “match-winning” burden.

The Minstermen were heavily reliant on Connolly’s creative skills early in the season and, even though the 21-year-old Scotsman has been restricted to just four outings since Mills took over as manager in mid-October, he still heads the club’s assists table having created two more goals than any other player this season and is the third-top scorer on three.

Connolly has now recovered from the thigh and hamstring problems that have dogged his progress under Mills and is in contention for a recall ahead of Saturday’s last-16 FA Trophy trip to Nuneaton Town.

But the City boss has told the former Dundee United attacker not to feel he has to win games single-handedly now, while making team play the focus of his efforts.

“People keep telling me Aidan is a good player, but the only time I’ve really seen him is coming out of the gym, so it’s been hard for me to judge,” Mills reasoned. “He’s had a really good week of training though and showed me he wants to get in the side.

“When I first came in, I had a little feeling that he thought he had to be the one to try and win games on his own, because he had the ability to do things that others couldn’t, but you can fall flat on your face if you feel like that. You have to be a team player and I’m not saying he isn’t but, maybe before, he felt he always had to do something extra and that became detrimental to everything else that was going on.

“If he’s a team player and does the job he is asked to do, he will become a better player and we will be a better team.”

Mills added that skipper Simon Heslop is likely to continue in the right-wing back role he filled during last weekend’s 0-0 draw at Aldershot, even if the doubtful Shaun Rooney recovers from his ankle problem.

“Shaun hasn’t trained this week, so he’s touch and go, but I also thought Simon was one of our top performers at right-wing back last weekend,” Mills said. “It’s not a position he really wants to play, but he gave us energy and leadership there.

“He also defended well and gave us a bit going forward. It was probably the best I’ve seen from him since coming back to the club, so I’d be thinking about keeping him there even if Shaun was fit and continue with same back five that got a clean sheet last week.”

Jon Parkin is a definite absentee, as he serves a one-match ban following his red card at Aldershot, but Mills revealed that the 35-year-old forward would not have been rested for Trophy duty, if he had been available.

The City chief insisted: “Jon would have played - there’s no doubt about that. The only reason he didn’t play in the last round was because of the 3G pitch.

“He has been one of the major reasons why we’ve started picking up results but, maybe, if he was going to be missing for a game, then a Trophy game is the one. The way Vadaine Oliver has trained and played at Aldershot is also a big bonus with Jon missing.”