YORK City's new manager Russ Wilcox has admitted his surprise at how Minstermen skipper Russell Penn has reinvented himself as a midfield enforcer.

Penn, 28, was released by Scunthorpe in the summer of 2005 when Wilcox was the assistant manager to Brian Laws at Glanford Park.

The future City captain operated on the flanks back then, before establishing himself in the engine rooms of Kidderminster, Burton and Cheltenham.

On his transformation, Wilcox said: "Russ' career has surprised me to be honest. At Scunthorpe, we had him as an apprentice and he was a tricky winger back then who wasn't the bravest.

"Now, he's a very competitive midfielder who has forged himself a really, good career."

The City chief is also looking forward to renewing acquaintances with City's three-goal top scorer Wes Fletcher, who was given his debut at the age of 19, as a Burnley substitute for current England international Jay Rodriguez, during a League Cup win at Morecambe when Laws and Wilcox were in charge at Turf Moor.

Recalling Fletcher's potential, Wilcox added: "Wes Fletcher was a young kid in the development squad when I was at Burnley and he probably got built up too much there. There was talk of him being the next Jay Rodriguez but, no disrespect, they were big boots to fill.

"He obviously did not quite manage that but he showed glimpses of quality there and he's an exciting player who we can, hopefully, get back into the team to score us some goals and help us get up the table."

Wilcox also confessed that he was surprised by the Minstermen's current third-bottom standing in the Sky Bet League Two table, following the efforts of the likes of Penn and Fletcher last term when the club snared a play-off place.

"I am quite surprised to see the team in the position they are in because, in the two games against Scunthorpe last season, York were outstanding," he reasoned. "I expected that run to the play-offs to continue into this season, especially with the core of the team still mainly intact, but the first five games were drawn and it's difficult when you're looking for that win.

"The team did manage to get one but there hasn't really been any consistency since and you need that to win games at any level."

Having won promotion at this level as a player, assistant manager and manager with Scunthorpe, Wilcox has also outlined the ingredients he feels are vital to achieve success in the Football League's bottom tier.

"Good players obviously help you and we have the core of a squad, aside from one or two, that went 17 games unbeaten last season," he pointed out. "I am also a big believer in hard work and that will be going on the board before every game.

"If you don't work hard, in any walk of life, you don't achieve anything. In League Two, the key is probably being good in both boxes too.

"Teams play in different ways - some want to pass it and others want to go from back to front quickly - but winning football matches is all about how you defend your own box and how you attack the opposition's, if you can stamp your authority on games."

Wilcox is delighted to be back in work a week after leaving Scunthorpe, where the club struggled to adapt to life a division higher in the face of a crippling injury crisis that saw Sam Slocombe, David Mirfin, Eddie Nolan, Niall Canavan, Dave Syers, Deon Burton, Neal Bishop, James Severn, Lyle Taylor, Miles Addison and Luke O'Neill all sidelined.

On his fortunes with the Iron this term, Wilcox said: "I think there were two elements that combined to make things very difficult. We had a massive number of injuries right through the spine of the squad and that would affect any club.

"The second element was the step up in standard. You get better teams and better individual players in League One."