YORK City manager Martin Gray has insisted he will be in sole charge of recruitment over the summer after revealing there has been a group approach to signing players this season.

Gray promised “massive changes” next term after watching his team draw 2-2 to Leamington at Bootham Crescent in the final home game of a disappointing National League North campaign.

City have brought in 14 players – David Ferguson, Adam Bartlett, Jonny Burn, Alex Pattison, Daniel Rowe, Connor Brown, James Gray, Raul Correia, Alex Kempster, Gary Martin, Sean McAllister, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Vinnie Steels and Marcus Williams – on loan or permanent deals since Gray left Darlington to succeed Gary Mills as manager at the start of October.

Many have underwhelmed in City shirts and Gray admitted: “Recruitment has not been as good as it should have been.

“There have been a lot of loan players, but it’s been a group decision. We work together as staff, so don’t hang me out to dry on this one.

“It’s a case of us all being in it together and that’s (sporting director) Dave Penney as well. Every member of staff has helped with the recruitment policy but, going forward it will be me and only me – let me tell you.

“That’s the way I’ve always worked and we’ll see a different York City next season. There were some really strong words in the changing room (after the Leamington game) and there will be massive changes at this club.

“There is a small group of players who will stay with us, but I want more who will give every ounce for this club, because I can’t accept what’s been going on and I won’t put my name to it. The last five games have not been good enough and certain individuals are kidding themselves if they think that’s what the game is all about.”

Gray once more exempted Simon Heslop from any criticism after the Leamington match, adding that he had been taking tablets during recent weeks to play with a hernia that will now be operated on.

The City chief also hailed the efforts of skipper Sean Newton, who scored both of the hosts’ goals, playing as a makeshift striker for the third successive game.

Both Heslop and Newton are contracted to the club next season and, of the captain, Gray added: “I thought he was fantastic.

“He’s hurting because he wants a promotion and he always has his say after games. He wants to do well for York City and lead the club on and, wherever I play him, he puts a shift in, so give me ten Sean Newtons.”

Following the team’s run of four successive defeats without scoring, Newton’s second goal of the game on 86 minutes against Leamington gave the hosts an excellent chance of taking maximum points.

But the visitors, who had led at the break following Kempster’s appalling own goal, secured a share of the spoils from Matt Dodd’s header moments later and Gray went on to lambast the standard of Burn and Ferguson’s defending for the Brakes’ 89th-minute equaliser.

“We started the game reasonably well and their keeper made two or three good saves in the first half, but I was disappointed that we conceded a soft, needless, cheap free kick and then scored an own goal from it,” the City chief pointed out.

“They didn’t look like they were going to score up to that point, but we kept conceding fouls for a spell and we ended up giving them a 1-0 lead. We pushed our players on and upped the tempo in the second half and their keeper made two or three more good saves, but I’m so frustrated that we weren’t good enough to see the game out.

“I brought Jonny Burn on to put some balls in the box from that right-hand side, but Connor Brown had done excellently defensively and was full of energy and he would have tried his best to stop the cross – no danger. Then, David Ferguson’s defending at the far post was nowhere near good enough either.

“It wasn’t as if he was up against Niall Quinn and he’s got to get his body in the way and win the header. That’s bread-and-butter stuff and you can’t defend like that in those situations - it’s not acceptable.”

A section of frustrated fans in the David Longhurst Stand chanted “You’re Not Fit to Wear the Shirt” at the players following the final whistle, but the level of unrest did not match that witnessed during the previous weekend’s 1-0 defeat at ten-man Gainsborough with Gray declaring: “The supporters were fantastic.

“It would have been quite easy for them to have a pop at the players from start to finish, but they stuck by them because they want a bit of success. Everybody heard the place when we went 2-1 up and we’ve got to get back to that week in, week out next season.”