YORK City could come up against ex-striker Richard Brodie tonight as he looks to make his debut after rejoining Southport.

Brodie is still the Minstermen’s joint-top scorer on seven goals with Jon Parkin this season, despite playing his last game for the club in October.

Since then, he has left Boston United, who he joined during the January transfer window, following a loan spell with Macclesfield and is now set to play for his fourth different club in 2016/17.

The 29-year-old forward was an unused substitute during the Sandgrounders’ 2-0 defeat at Braintree on Saturday, but the temptation for visiting boss Andy Preece to use him at some stage against his old club is likely to prove too strong.

City will not come up against Brodie’s fellow Bootham Crescent old boys Lindon Meikle, Jordan Lussey or Jake Wright however.

Nor will Jack Higgins play any part either due to the terms of his loan move from the Minstermen.

Meikle and Wright have both returned to their respective parent clubs Barrow and Sheffield United, while Lussey is ruled out having undergone surgery on an ankle injury he suffered on Boxing Day.

Defender Neil Ashton and top scorer Jamie Allen, meanwhile, face late fitness tests, having missed the last two matches.

Former Fleetwood striker Allen has netted 11 times this season, including both goals during Southport’s 2-0 home win over their opponents this evening.

Southport go into the North Yorkshire clash on the back of a horrendous run that has seen them lose nine and draw one of their last ten games.

That form has left them two points adrift at the bottom of the National League table and eight away from a place outside the relegation zone.

A goals-against record of 79 is also the worst in the division and 11 more than the second-biggest number, shipped by fourth-bottom Woking.

On average, the Merseyside outfit concede more than two a game and, of the 44 players they have selected this term, five have been goalkeepers.

Teenager Craig King, who is on loan from Luton, is the latest net-minder to don the gloves after Fulham recalled Magnus Norman at the end of last month.

Former Bury, Worcester and Northwich boss Preece is Port’s third different manager of the season after ex-City forward Andy Bishop and Steve Burr, who he replaced last month.

Southport (probable): King, McKeown, White, Murray, R Higgins, Jones, Nolan, Stevenson, Grimes, Weeks, Almond.