OUT-OF-CONTRACT goalkeeper Michael Ingham wants to stay at York City even if he is not guaranteed to be first choice between the sticks next season.

Ingham, who turns 35 in the summer, has just wrestled back his starting place from on-loan Peterborough shot-stopper Bobby Olejnik after playing second fiddle at Bootham Crescent for long periods during the last 15 months.

The former Northern Ireland international’s hopes of prolonging his Minstermen career have also been given a significant boost by consecutive clean sheets since his return to the starting line-up following Olejnik’s red card at Mansfield.

On his hopes for the future, Ingham said: “My main focus is keeping York City in the league and, only after that, will I sit down in the summer and see what plans the gaffer has and if he wants me at the club. All I can do is justify my selection in the side and then prove I am good enough to play in the League and play for another year.

“I think the last two games have suggested that I can do a job. I’m not saying I should be number one but, in the modern game, you need a good squad and, at my age, I would be happy enough to be part of a good, solid squad.

“I live in York and have a baby on the way with a York girl, so I’m happy here. I will be 35 in the summer so the manager might not see me as a long-term number one and that’s fair enough but you need two solid keepers at this standard.

“We saw that with what happened at Mansfield because when you have a keeper sent off, you need to bring one on who can finish the job.”

Ingham has also been dogged by a series of injuries this term, including shoulder, groin, finger and knee problems but insists his body remains in full working order.

“I’ve had a frustrating season injury wise and, because of my age, people say it’s time to finish because of that, but that’s not the case,” he argued. “The shoulder problem was a training ground incident when I fell on top of a ball and tore my tendon.

“You get other niggles at my age but I keep the weight off and am pretty fit.

“I dive about as much as the young boys in training and don’t miss a day, so I feel like I can play for another three or four years.”

York Press:

Ingham’s main priority for now, meanwhile, is to continue being a reliable last line of defence for the Minstermen.

He reasoned: “I’ve just got to keep playing the way I am and not do anything daft by just using my experience. I’ve played over 300 games for York and don’t think I’m a Bruce Grobbelaar type.

“I’m just a steady Eddy who will talk to the lads in front of me and they have been different class.”

Ingham believes he has a strong rapport with City’s well-versed three-man defence of Keith Lowe, Dave Winfield and John McCombe who, since being teamed together at Accrington last month, have helped mastermind an unbeaten return of eight points from a possible 12.

“We look solid and the change in formation has helped a lot,” Ingham pointed out. “It suits the personnel we have got.

“We made a slight change at Oxford and it seemed to stop them and we’ve got the confidence to get a result anywhere now. The three lads were brilliant on Monday and I hardly had a shot to save.

“They are also giving me lots of space to come for crosses and I came for a few at Oxford. They are strong boys and I wouldn’t like to play against them.

“I’m happy they are in my team and not in anybody else’s. There’s a great understanding between the four of us and there’s lots of experience and games played in there, so we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Despite Monday’s clean sheet moving him to within five of FA Cup semi-final hero Tommy Forgan’s all-time club record tally of 120 with five fixtures of the season left to play, Ingham denied that target is uppermost in his mind, saying: “I’m very pleased to be back in the side, but it’s not about me, it’s about the team.

“Clean sheets will help the team get points and, while people will talk about the record, I’m not bothered about that.”

Regardless of the five teams below City in the League Two standings all losing on Monday, Ingham also felt a draw at the Kassam Stadium represented a positive result as the team seek to take control of their own destiny in the fight for Football League survival.

“It was a good solid point,” he declared. “Oxford have probably underachieved this season with their budget and I’ve been there a few times in my York City career so know it’s always a tough, tough place to go.

“It was a big point no matter what anybody else did. I keep banging on to the lads that it’s not about other teams, it’s all about what we do.

“It seems to be a bit different to two years ago when we were winning and everybody else was too but, like then, you still have to sort yourselves out and get the results without relying on anybody else.”

Having won back his place, Ingham intends to meet manager Russ Wilcox’s challenge to keep a starting spot after getting the nod over Olejnik following the latter’s return from suspension.

“I wasn’t really surprised to be selected at Oxford,” Ingham revealed.

“The gaffer said the shirt was mine to lose and I had a solid game on Friday so I was expecting to play and, no disrespect to Bobby, I’m expecting to play again on Saturday.”