TOM PLATT has revealed he never considered going out on loan despite being overlooked for selection at York City for more than four months.

The 21-year-old midfielder turned in a man-of-the-match performance for the Minstermen during Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Accrington having entered the action as a 14th-minute substitute for the injured Emile Sinclair.

The outing was Platt’s first since he was given a 12-minute cameo in the 3-1 FA Cup replay defeat at AFC Wimbledon in mid-November.

But, rather than seek pastures new for some valuable game time, as others in his position have done due to the lack of a reserve side at Bootham Crescent, Platt opted to sit tight for a chance to help his home-town club in their battle for Football League survival.

Following a 19-game wait - with 15 of those matches spent as an unused substitute - the former City youth-team captain was given his opportunity at the weekend.

Having been a key member of the team that staved off the threat of relegation to the Conference after then manager Nigel Worthington gave him his senior debut when the club were in a similar position two years ago, Platt is now hoping to play a significant role with eight games left to play during the current dogfight.

On his decision to stay patient rather than try his luck elsewhere, Platt explained: “I wanted to stay here and get a chance like the one I got at Accrington.

“It took a lot longer to get that opportunity than I would have hoped, but I wanted to play for York and it was good to get out there on Saturday.

“Football’s a strange game and you never know what’s going to happen.

“You just have to keep training hard every day and try to stay as sharp as you can because, all of a sudden, you can be needed after ten minutes as I was at Accrington.

“I just want to try to help keep the team in the League. We did that two years ago and we need to keep working hard for each other and play like we did at Accrington, while cutting out the goals against.

“I believe, if we keep producing that type of per - formance then, more often than not, we will get the wins and it will be enough to stay up because I am 100 per cent sure we have the players here to do it.”

Platt played as the advanced player in a three- man midfield that also included Dan Parslow and Adam Reed as City took 13 points from 15 to stay up in 2013 and, on his effectiveness in that position, the former Easingwold Town juniors ace said: “I played there a couple of years ago and enjoyed it.

“It’s a bit different to holding. You have got a bit more licence to go forward.

“I don’t mind playing in any position, but I do quite like that one.”

York Press:

IN THE THICK OF IT: Recalled York City midfielder Tom Platt brings the ball away after a challenge by Accrington Stanley’s Luke Joyce

His ability to support attacks from midfield saw Platt have a hand in both goals at Accrington and, commenting on his return to senior duty, he added: “I’ve not played for a while and, when Emile pulled up and I got the call to go on, I just wanted to do the best I could.

“I played Summers (Luke Summerfield) through for the first one and passed to John (McCombe) for Jake (Hyde) to get the second.

I was pleased to contribute to the team and to the goals we scored.”

Following Josh Windass’ late deflected equaliser, which meant the Minstermen have now thrown away 11 points due to goals conceded from the 88-minute mark and onwards, Platt cursed the team’s fortune but also admitted the players’ game management needs to be better from now on.

“I thought we were the better team and deserved to win,” he reasoned. “It was obviously disappointing to concede so late again and not get the three points because we had done well overall to take the lead twice.

“I don’t know why we’ve let in so many goals late on this season and it’s fine margins really but we’ve just got to keep tight towards the end of games.

“Their goal deflected off the wall as well, so it was down to a bit of bad luck, but also a bit of bad play on our part because we need to see out games better.”