YORK City boss Russ Wilcox has insisted he will not be afraid to pack Bootham Crescent with strikers following the loan signing of Deon Burton.

The former Premier League and international marksman, who played for Jamaica in the 1998 World Cup finals, has agreed an initial, one-month stay from Wilcox's old club Scunthorpe and joins the likes of fellow forwards Ryan Brunt, Diego De Girolamo, Jake Hyde, Wes Fletcher, Ryan Jarvis and Michael Coulson on the Minstermen's books.

Burton, 38, was forced to compete with the likes of potent trio Sam Winnall, Paddy Madden and Paul Hayes for a starting place during Scunthorpe's promotion-winning campaign under Wilcox last season.

Three games into his City reign and ahead of tomorrow's Sky Bet League Two trip to Cheltenham, Wilcox is now looking to increase the firepower of a team that has only managed to score more than one goal during four of their last 28 fixtures.

"Neil Warnock used to collect strikers and you can't have too many people who can play at that top end of the pitch and score goals - the more the better for me," Wilcox explained. "People might become unhappy then but that's football and, if you're not in the team, you have to work hard to get back in.

"Goals have been hard to come by here, even during that good run last season. We need to be a team that can win games 3-2 if need be, because you can't keep a clean sheet every week.

"It's not always about the starting XI, it's about the eleven that finish a game as well. You need game-changers on your bench and we might not have had enough of those in the last few weeks.

"Hopefully, when we have got everybody back out of the treatment room, we will do now."

Wilcox is also hoping that former Derby striker Burton can inspire City's forwards in the same fashion that he helped Sam Winnall at Scunthorpe last term.

Former Wolves reserve Winnall arrived at Glanford Park on a free transfer in the summer of 2013 but went on to net 23 goals before moving to Barnsley for a undisclosed fee.

"We took a gamble on Sam last season and I think Deon takes a lot of credit for the part he played in his development in terms of his know-how and where to be on a football pitch," Wilcox revealed: "He knows that he is coming towards the closure of his career.

"He's probably got another season in him after this one but he's already looking at coaching and I'm a big believer in listening from feedback from the players because it's not just about my views. The players are out there on the pitch and I need to hear from them.

"We've got young strikers here who are still learning and, at 23 and 24, Wes Fletcher and Jake Hyde continue to develop and he can play a big role in that."

Wilcox went on to stress that he reckons Burton, who netted six times in 33 games for Scunthorpe last season, will provide a lift for every member in third-bottom City's ranks.

The Minstermen chief said: "He will give the whole squad a boost knowing that he's been there and done it at all levels, including the World Cup. He has leadership qualities on and off the pitch.

"A lot of our lads here have not had the experience of being down the bottom end of a table and he can help immensely in that way too. He will get hold of the ball and, although he's not the biggest, he's strong and has the awareness to bring other people into play."

Burton has only started one match this season for the Glanford Park club with four further outings as a substitute.

He has also had a spell on the sidelines with a knee injury and Wilcox admitted he does not expect the Ashford-born attacker to complete games during the early stages of his loan stay.

"I'm not sure if he's fully match fit, but he's ready to go," Wilcox added. "He played for Scunthorpe's reserves against Burton on Monday and scored two goals, which will have given him a boost.

"He won't be a 90-minute man at the moment and he's at that age now where you have to use him sparingly and cleverly, but I know all about him in that respect and how to manage him well."

Brunt's one-month loan spell from Bristol Rovers will come to an end following tomorrow's match with Sheffield United forward De Girolamo's stay due for renewal or expiry a week later.

City boss Wilcox, though, would not confirm whether Burton's arrival would have any implications on their situations, saying: "We will have to wait and see but they will both be involved this weekend."

Fletcher (hamstring) and Hyde (calf) are yet to return to full training and are unlikely to feature at Cheltenham, where centre-back David Winfield (thigh) is expected to be ruled out too.

Keeper Michael Ingham is fit again after a thigh strain, though, leaving Wilcox to choose between the former Northern Ireland international and on-loan Burnley shot-stopper Alex Cisak, who made his City debut last weekend.

On that dilemma, Wilcox enthused: "I will be pondering on that one and that's a good thing because I need more decisions to make and more competition for places."

Wilcox was offering his opinions on the current squad to the City board last night, along with the areas of the team he feels still need strengthening and which players might benefit from loan moves.

First-year pro Cameron Murray is likely to be the first farmed out with Conference North outfit Harrogate Town a likely destination.

"I like to get young players out on loan to develop them," Wilcox explained.

"There has been a bit of interest from Harrogate in Cameron and, hopefully, he can go there and get some games because he needs that, rather than just working on the training ground."