YORK City club captain Daniel Parslow is hoping his pre-season form will persuade manager Martin Foyle to kick off the season with him at centre-back.

Parslow has been a model of consistency during the Minstermen’s opening friendlies against Hull City and Barnsley alongside Djoumin Sangare.

The pair have played more minutes than the majority of City’s squad in those games due to injuries to fellow centre-halves David McGurk and Greg Young.

Former Welsh under-21 international Parslow has offered a reminder of his ability after losing his place during last season’s run-in following a spell at right-back.

Despite finishing the 2008/9 campaign as The Press Player of the Year and kicking off the season with the skipper’s armband, he had to watch on helplessly at Wembley as City went down 3-1 to Oxford in the Blue Square Premier play-off final.

But, despite admitting the likes of McGurk, Young, Sangare and first-year pro Dean Lisles represent stern competition for places, he is targeting a centre-back berth for the first game of the new season at home to Kidderminster on August 14.

Parslow said: “I suppose you always need to prove to people you are a good player and how good you think you can play but I’m putting no more added pressure on myself. Every day I try to do my bit for the club and work as hard as I can.

“At the end of the day, I am a centre-half and, hopefully, I can do enough to keep my place in the team there. I’ve played more than the gaffer would have liked in pre-season because of the injuries to TY (McGurk) and Greg, but I’ve enjoyed playing back in the middle again. I feel a lot more at home there.

“There are a lot of good centre-halves at the club so there’s competition for places and, in the gaffer’s position, that’s great when injuries and suspensions come along. There’s always somebody ready to step in.

“You can’t afford any dips in form and Dean Lisles has to come into the equation as well. He’s done well in pre-season and looks like he has a bright future. He’s aggressive and keen.

“But I have confidence in my ability and am raring to go so, hopefully, I can do enough to convince the gaffer and Andy Porter to stick with me.”

Parslow was shifted to right-back midway through last season following an injury to Ben Purkiss.

In the meantime, Luke Graham and McGurk forged a great understanding together at the heart of City’s defence and, when Foyle decided to recall Purkiss after a 2-1 defeat at Forest Green in March, Parslow started just one of the club’s last 15 games – the end-of-season dead rubber at Stevenage.

His involvement in the Minstermen’s play-off ties was also restricted to a one-minute outing in the semi-final second leg at Luton.

“It was extremely frustrating and disappointing to lose my place,” Parslow admitted. “I had been playing right-back for three months and I wanted to do a good job for the team but, when it came to crunch time, the gaffer had a decision to make and he opted to stick with Luke (Graham) and TY in the middle, who had been doing really well.

“It was tough and a blow personally as I had played pretty much every week for a year and a half. I wanted to be a Football League player as much as the other lads, but it was difficult not to be a member of the starting XI trying to get promoted.

“Sat on the bench, your fate is in other people’s hands. It’s out of your control and all you can do is wish the lads well and hope they do the business.

“But I’m still here contracted to the club and ready for a fresh season and you just have to get your head down and keep plugging away.”

Even though the Minstermen have lost their first two warm-up games against Championship neighbours, Parslow believes both games have proven beneficial exercises, adding: “We have played top opposition and coped reasonably well.

“They have had a lot of the ball and I think that’s been good for our first two games back because it’s meant we have been forced to work hard. We’ve still got a long way to go and need to be a bit better on the ball.

“Morecambe are coming here on Saturday and that will be another good test but, hopefully, we can be a bit braver and more ambitious.”

Parslow has also been impressed with City’s summer recruits, believing the likes of George Purcell and Peter Till have the potential to entertain supporters.

He said: “I think the gaffer has strengthened the squad and brought in some exciting players in the new centre forward and winger. Hopefully, we can be consistent enough to get in that top five and it would be good to set the ball rolling with a decent start.

“There are some good teams like Newport and Fleetwood that have come up and spent a bit of money, though. Crawley have obviously splashed out like there’s no tomorrow, while Cambridge and Rushden look strong as well, so there’s a bit of competition but no reason why we can’t be up there.”