JOHN McReady will return to action after three-and-a-half months on the sidelines in York City’s North Riding Senior Cup home clash with Northallerton Town tonight, kick-off 7.45pm.

The 20-year-old midfielder, recruited from Darlington in the summer, will join eight other players with first-team experience for the quarter-final tie against the Northern League second division side.

Paul Musselwhite, Jon Challinor, Lanre Oyebanjo, Tom Allan, Danny Blanchett, Lee Bullock, Jamie Reed and Reece Kelly will all feature, as will first-year professional Tom Platt.

City boss Gary Mills is looking forward to seeing McReady back on the pitch after he suffered a dislocated shoulder during his third substitute outing for the Minstermen – September’s 0-0 home draw with Cheltenham.

Mills also added that McReady will give him options in two positions with his ability to play in the middle of the park and on the wing.

The City chief said: “It will be a bonus to have him back in the areas that he can play.

“He can play as an attacking midfielder but, before his injury, we were nurturing him into that wide position and he was doing really well.

“We’ve got another reserve game lined up for next Tuesday against Sunderland so there will be a couple of reserve fixtures for him to get his fitness levels and sharpness back to something like.”

With the club not participating in an organised reserve league again this season, Mills is also targeting another run to the final of the North Riding County FA competition, as he looks to provide meaningful fixtures for his fringe players.

The Minstermen boss added: “These games are important for us.

“They are competitive and you get something to show at the end of it all.

“There’s also the possibility of playing a Middlesbrough team and each 90 minutes is valuable for the players who need the games.”