YORK City’s run of seven games without a win has nothing to do with playing people out of position, according to manager Gary Mills.

Mills has tried several different midfield permutations this season with Dan Parslow, Lanre Oyebanjo and Matty Blair starting in the engine room during last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Torquay.

Those three players have spent the majority of their career playing at centre-half, right-back and on the wing respectively.

Mills, though, added that last season’s 20-goal top scorer Blair actually now prefers to start in the role he occupied against the Gulls and that Parslow, who has flitted between a midfield berth and right-back this season, no longer pigeon-holes himself as a defender.

City won last season’s Blue Square Bet Premier play-off final against Luton at Wembley playing two recognised full-backs Oyebanjo and James Meredith in midfield alongside Parslow and Mills believes his players’ versatility continues to be of great assistance in his efforts to win games.

Ahead of this afternoon’s npower League Two clash at Rochdale, the Minstermen chief said: “People start to look too deeply for reasons and excuses as to why we’re not winning games.

“I like players who can play in different positions and don’t like those who can only operate in one role.

“If you ask Dan Parslow what his position is, he probably won’t say centre-half because his game has moved on.

“He can play in two other positions now and, if you ask Matty Blair where he would rather play, he would say in the middle of the park because he gives us a lot there and gets involved.

“People criticise me and I will take that on the chin but it won’t stop me picking players in positions I feel will make us as strong as possible.”