YORK City remain the only side in English football’s top five tiers not to have won a home match this season - but manager Russ Wilcox has tried to play that record down.

Ahead of the Bootham Crescent clash against AFC Wimbledon tomorrow, the City boss said: “Our home form will be a talking point until we win, but I’ve stressed to the players that it’s a football pitch with the same type of green grass and white markings as they played on at Plymouth and Hartlepool.

“We have taken eight points from a possible 12 away from home, which is promotion form, so if we carry that on and get somewhere near it at Bootham Crescent we will quickly move up the table.” Wilcox also reckons he is spoilt for choice selection-wise, with the returns of Dave Winfield and Anthony Straker from injury meaning he has a fully-fit squad at his disposal.

“We have more bodies and that means more choice,” he suggested.

“We had 22 players on the training ground this week and, when we had an 11 v 11 match, it was a really tight game.

“I believe I could throw any 11 of them into the side now, so I have got headaches, but they are nice headaches. I even have selection problems for the bench.

“Tom Platt has been outstanding in training and is a terrific professional but, because you have to cover all bases positional-wise, he missed out at Plymouth and there might be one or two watching from the stands again.”

Middlesbrough right-back Brad Halliday is still waiting for his City debut having watched on from the bench during the three league games since his switch from the Riverside Stadium but Wilcox has admitted the teenage full-back is pressing his claims for inclusion against the Wombles.

On Halliday’s situation, Wilcox said: “I brought him in to make sure we had cover through this period for Marvin (McCoy) but I have been really impressed with his attitude, application and work ethic.

“ He has done really well during the 11 v 11 in-house games we have had and he’s pushing himself right to the front of my thoughts for the weekend, so we could make a couple of changes.”

Wilcox went on to agree that left-back Femi Ilesanmi was a worthy recipient of back-to-backs The Press Player of the Month awards, having scooped the honours for October and jointly with Keith Lowe for November.

“He has done really well and I still feel there’s a lot of development to come from him in terms of his ball play,” the City manager pointed out.

“He can improve on that and stays behind after training sessions to work on it. He has a great attitude and is still only young, so he can only get better.”

 

•  AFC Wimbledon will be looking for their first Sky Bet League Two away win since mid-August when they visit York City tomorrow afternoon.

The Dons have not won any of their last seven league games on the road since opening the campaign with back-to-back 1-0 away triumphs at Southend and Luton.

In fact, Neal Ardley’s men have taken just three points from a possible 21 on their travels ahead of their trip to Bootham Crescent and not netted in more than five hours of league football away from Kingsmeadow since centre-back Adam Barrett’s goal during a 1-1 draw at Cheltenham on October 4.

The Wombles are still without crocked defender Andy Frampton, who has an ankle problem, while first-choice, left-back Jack Smith is also now sidelined for two months with a knee injury.

Ex-Scunthorpe full-back Callum Kennedy will continue to deputise for Smith, while on-loan Millwall defender Jake Goodman is currently being preferred in the heart of the back four to club captain and former Eire international Alan Bennett.

In attack, 12-goal Matt Tubbs – League Two’s joint-top marksman with Oxford’s Danny Hylton - has failed to make the scoresheet during his last ten away appearances since bagging a brace during the 4-4 draw at Carlisle on September 6.

Ardley is not expected to make any changes to the side that started last weekend’s 1-0 FA Cup win at Wycombe that saw the team progress to a third round home tie against the mighty Liverpool.

Wimbledon (probable): Shea, Fuller, Goodman, Barrett, Kennedy, Francomb, Bulman, Moore, Rigg, Akinfenwa, Tubbs.