YORK City boss Martin Gray believes goalkeeper Adam Bartlett is as valuable to the team as a 30-goal-a-season striker.

A string of breathtaking saves helped Bartlett win The Press Player of the Month prize in January.

He scooped that honour despite making a mistake for Stockport’s second goal, scored by Matty Warburton last weekend in the 2-0 away defeat, but Gray insisted he rates the 31-year-old shot-stopper as one of the best in non-League football, having recruited him in November from former club Darlington.

On the former England C international’s importance to the club, Gray declared: “He’s as good as having a 25 to 30-goal-a-season striker, because he gives you the same rewards in terms of points gained and saved.

“The goal he let in at Stockport was not Adam, because he’s nice and solid, so he’s held his hand up for that. But, if I look at some of the saves he’s made since coming here, his performances have been good and I put him in the top bracket of keepers at this level and the one above – all day long.

“He’s an outstanding professional, who is very steady and somebody I don’t have to think about much as a manager. He goes out and deals with things on his own and, whilst he’s not a screamer and a shouter in the changing room, when he goes on to the pitch he never shuts up and organises the back four.”

Bartlett has spent two spells in League Two with Hereford and Hartlepool during his career, but Gray reckons the 6ft net-minder would have plied his trade at an even higher level, but for discrimination against shorter shot-stoppers in the modern game.

“I believe, if he had been 6ft 2in of 6ft 3in, he would have played in the Championship and Football League all his career,” Gray argued. “To go to that next level, he probably lacks that bit more height.

“Sometimes, people look at that and seem to be after these 6ft 4in keepers, but I played with Shay Given who was the same height as Adam and he was amazing. He proved people wrong and came for the big balls into his box and stopped them.

“The game has changed a bit down the years and balls come into the box so quickly and a lot are put on top of keepers, but somebody like Adam uses his experience to manage the back four and he makes good decisions when to come for crosses and when to stay on his line. He’s magnificent at that and doesn’t get involved in the big fights, because he can’t get there.”

Gray added, meanwhile, that Clovis Kamdjo will not be rushed back after making his playing comeback with 45 minutes for the reserves during this week’s 2-1 North Riding Cup victory over Boro Rangers.

The former Forest Green utility man had been sidelined since November 2016 with cruciate ligament damage and, with Gray believing his best position is in midfield, the City manager reckons the club are well-staffed in that department, lessening any need to bring Kamdjo back into the first-team fold ahead of schedule.

“Clovis is still weeks away from getting into the first-team environment if he gets there, but it’s been a long, long journey for him and it was great to see him back,” Gray explained. “We’ll see how he goes week by week and build him up.

“I know he can drop back into defence, but I think he’s a defensive midfielder. Everybody I’ve spoken to in the past has told me he’s best sat in front of the back four and he has a defensive mentality as a footballer, which is useful.

“But we’re very strong in midfield, so I’m not relying on him to get back for the final games of the season.”