YORK City boss Russ Wilcox wants to bring competitive reserve-team football back to Bootham Crescent.

The Minstermen have been without an official second string for six seasons with former manager Martin Foyle withdrawing the club from Pontins League action in 2009.

Since then, Foyle's successors Gary Mills and Nigel Worthington have also opted against reinstating the reserves.

All three managers went on to mastermind play-off campaigns with that infrastructure, but Wilcox is keen for the club to re-establish a "stepping stone" for younger players to familarise themselves with the first-team arena.

City have only arranged one behind-closed-doors reserve fixture this season - against a Loughborough Students XI - meaning the squad's fringe players also have been short on match fitness.

It is now too late for City to gain admission into an organised league during the current campaign but Wilcox wants that to be a priority for the club next term and, in the meantime, will be looking to increase the number of reserve friendlies.

He said: "I brought the reserves back at Scunthorpe and I think it's important. You don't want to get to October and have people who have only played a couple of games.

"I think players aged between 18 and 21 can easily get lost if you don't have a reserve team and it's something I want to put in place. We have to try and develop players so they can come through the ranks into York City's first team.

"That's something that I want and something I'd like to see. We managed to achieve it at Scunthorpe and people want to see local people in their team.

"It's too late to get in a league this season but bringing back the reserves has to be a long-term goal. It's also important that they play at the main stadium.

"It's very difficult for a player to go from the youth team into a first-team environment. You need that stepping stone, which includes putting them in the arena. It's not just technical, tactical and physical development - mental development is vital as well.

"We will be arranging a game for next week, if we can, to get the players games because, if they haven't had any and you get a couple of injuries and suspensions, you are asking them to go straight into the blood and guts of a League Two game.

"That's a horrible scenario for a player, because they're not up to speed and probably don't perform well, so they come back out again. You need people ready to come in and perform for the team."

Wilcox, meanwhile, has praised the athleticism of full-backs Marvin McCoy and Femi Ilesanmi following their enterprising displays during Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Morecambe.

He added: "Each game will be different and Mansfield will be playing with wing-backs today, but Morecambe were 4-4-2 like ourselves and I liked the way our wingers came off the lines to create space down the flanks because we've got two very athletic full backs who can bomb on. Femi was unbelievable with his pace and power and, while both of them need a bit more work on their delivery when they get to that final third to allow us to score a few more goals, their desire to get forward was there for all to see."

Morecambe's equaliser represented the fourth crucial, stoppage-time goal City have conceded this season - a tally that has cost the club six points and a possible place in the Capital One Cup second round.

But Wilcox does not intend to focus on that perceived frailty in coming weeks, reasoning: "You have to manage games but, up and down the country, you get a lot of last-minute goals because the opposition have to gamble and take chances. It was a bit disappointing because we had the ball in their corner with 30 seconds to play and we just thought we were going to get a throw-in.

"But it's not something I will be looking at yet and, if you get a second goal, it's not as big a problem anyway. I want to concentrate on the positives but, if it is a recurring problem with one individual or down to the shape of the team, then we will address it."