YORK City boss Martin Gray has called upon his team to show character to turn their good training ground work into matchday wins.

After the disappointment of losing late on last Saturday to Tamworth, Gray insists that the hard work during the week at Wigginton Road needs to show in consistency and results.

Gray said about last week’s meeting with Tamworth: “To lose the game the way we did, it’s not acceptable – at 2-2 with ten men, having used all of our substitutes, and we concede the third goal.

“It was very frustrating because there are enough experienced players on the pitch to make better decisions on the ball.

“To be successful, you need strong characters. You need a winning mentality to see a game out.”

Gray’s aim this weekend is to turn the positives from recent weeks into tangible outcomes: “I feel like the squad's fitness levels are fantastic.

"They’ve worked so hard, all credit to the players, and we’ll see the benefits now going forward.

“It’s what we do on the training ground that we need to start seeing come matchdays – you’re judged at quarter to five with results, and for us to progress straight away we need to get some consistency in results, and it’s got to start this weekend.”

Apart from David Ferguson’s suspension following his red card last weekend, the Minstermen will have a full complement of players from which to choose this weekend.

Hamza Bencherif is fully fit and will come straight back into the team after a training ground injury kept him out of the Tamworth game, while debutant goalscorer Daniel Rowe is also in contention.

Gray said: “He’s still trying to get up to speed, he hasn’t had a full 90 minutes for a fair few weeks yet, so playing Saturday for a short spell and getting a little reserve team football on Wednesday was very important.”

The team have received some good news regarding long-term absentee Clovis Kamdjo, who has joined the team the last two weeks on the training ground, but Louis Almond is still a concern.

Gray says the club are still waiting on a specialist opinion on a slight shoulder dislocation: “We’re wrapping him in cotton wool, I didn’t dare play him in the reserve game midweek.

"Clovis is getting on great. His movement’s coming back and I’m so pleased he’s getting some football. He’s a smashing boy and nothing but a credit."

Joining the City side until January is 27-year-old striker Gary Martin, who Gray holds in high esteem: “He’s a goalscorer. He’s pedigree, he’s come from a very high standard. He’s been in the Belgian championship, and hopefully he’ll give us the goals that we’re looking for.

“I think he’s really intelligent as a footballer and you can see why he’s played at the levels he has.”

Saturday's game will be difficult, said Gray: “Curzon Ashton are a very good footballing team. They like to get the ball down, they like to pass it.

“They’ve had some very good results this season. They’re a team that’s improving all the time, so it’s going to be another tough game.

“We need an outstanding performance, we need a very disciplined performance and we need the three points.

“We’ve got to start keeping clean sheets and give the fans something they deserve.”