BOBBY Olejnik is expected to be left out of York City's squad again as manager Russ Wilcox opts for firepower on his bench for Saturday's "huge" home game with Hartlepool.

The former Austrian under-21 international did not feature in the 18-strong visiting for Easter Monday's 0-0 draw at Oxford with forwards Shaq Coulthirst, Shaun Miller and Josh O'Hanlon making up City's full quota of five permitted loan players, along with defensive duo Brad Halliday and Stephane Zubar.

Miller and O'Hanlon were both unused substitutes at the Kassam Stadium but, with Michael Ingham having taken over from on-loan Peterborough shot-stopper Olejnik between the sticks, Wilcox is poised to prioritise attacking options in his substitute selections, meaning contracted net-minder Jason Mooney will continue as cover following his recall from Alfreton.

"It's a difficult one because Bobby's been great for us," Wilcox admitted. "But I can only select five loan players and I think it's always important to have firepower on the bench."

Wilcox also has choices to make in terms of his starting XI against a third-bottom visiting team who lie five points behind the Minstermen.

Centre-back Zubar filled an unfamiliar left-wing back role at Oxford but Femi Ilesanmi is in contention for that position having recovered from a knee injury and Michael Coulson is another option, having played there during the 1-0 home win over Cheltenham on Good Friday.

Josh Carson is still not available, however, as he waits for a scan on the severe concussion he received in a Saturday night incident away from the football club.

Asked whether he would continue with Zubar out wide, Wilcox replied: "There was no issue or negativity at all when I asked Stephane to play out of position and he was an important member of the back five that got us a clean sheet at Oxford. There's a bit of work to do in terms of him going forward from that position but I wouldn't be against playing him there again because he's an athletic, strong and aggressive player who's a terrific pro."

Should Wilcox revert to a 3-4-1-2 formation, Tom Platt could also be welcomed back into the fold, after losing his starting place on Monday, following the switch to 3-4-3.

The City boss added: "Like the rest of the lads who weren't in the starting XI at Oxford, I'm delighted with Tom's spirit, mentality and professionalism. He's had a couple of terrific games and it was just down to tactics that he came out of the team on Monday."

If bottom two Tranmere and Cheltenham fail to avoid defeat at promotion-chasing pair Southend and Wycombe respectively this weekend, then the Minstermen would move nine points clear of the relegation zone with four fixtures left to play should they beat Hartlepool but Wilcox has insisted the team maintain control of their own fate without second-guessing results elsewhere.

He said: "We've picked up eight points from four matches and, if we keep averaging two points a game, we will finish well clear of trouble but things can change quickly. You can get strange results now and, if we don't do our job, we will be back in trouble.

"If we can win this game, we will be on 48 points and, if a couple of results go our way, we would be very close to Football League survival with four games left to play, but I won't be saying we are safe until it's mathematically certain."

The four-game winning streak that propelled Hartlepool from bottom of the table to a place outside the drop zone has been followed by one point from a possible six over Easter with a 2-2 draw at Newport preceding Monday's 1-0 home defeat to Southend.

But Wilcox still reckons Pool's resurgence is very much alive and kicking, saying: "They could have easily drawn against Southend.

"They hit the crossbar and had the ball cleared off the line so I'm expecting another tight affair."

The City chief has also called for the Bootham Crescent faithful to get behind the team in the same manner that helped see off fellow strugglers Cheltenham in the club's last home outing.

Hartlepool have sold all 2,000 tickets for the game and Wilcox said: "It's a huge game and very similar to Cheltenham because it's another six-pointer.

"The fans were terrific that day. The flags were out and, even from 2.45pm, they were right behind the lads.

"The players came back in from the warm-up buzzing and couldn't wait to get out there, so it would be great to get the same atmosphere because both sets of supporters will be up for the game massively."

Wes Fletcher, meanwhile, has returned to light jogging and strengthening work in the gym as he begins his recovery from a torn hamstring muscle and Wilcox is challenging both him and fellow injured forward Emile Sinclair to accelerate their rehabilitation along as quickly as possible even if a playing return before the end of the season might seem unrealistic.

"It's important we push Wes and Emile as hard as we can," the City boss explained. "Even if they don't get back for the last game or two, they've got to leave this building fully fit and won't be allowed to go away for the summer until they are.

"I don't want them 70 or 80 per cent right because they will need to be ready and available for pre-season."