YORK City have signed Tottenham striker Shaq Coulthirst on loan until the end of the season.

Coulthirst was on loan at City's Sky Bet League Two rivals Southend for the first seven months of the season but Bootham Crescent boss Russ Wilcox has now secured his services and he will go straight into the squad for tomorrow's home match with Carlisle.

The 20-year-old forward converted the winning penalty for Southend during the Minstermen's 1-0 defeat at Roots Hall in January.

Despite making just 12 league starts for the Essex outfit this season, he netted four times for Phil Brown's team and has previously scored three goals in eight matches during loan spells at Torquay and Leyton Orient.

He also made his debut for Spurs last season as a substitute for Roberto Soldado during a 4-1 Europa League victory over Russian side Anzhi.

On Coulthirst's capture, a delighted Wilcox said: "Shaq is somebody I have been tracking for quite a long time and I tried to get him in the summer when I was manager of Scunthorpe. He has great potential and is a real coup for the football club.

"He's only a young lad but he's a Spurs player and it's good to get him at York City. He's fit and available for tomorrow and will go straight into the squad."

Coulthirst will now be one of six loan players looking to take one of the five permitted match squad places for players at the club on that basis, along with Bobby Olejnik, Stephane Zubar, Malvind Benning, Brad Halliday and Diego De Girolamo, meaning one will miss out.

On that dilemma, the City chief added: "It's not ideal having six loan players but I had to be reactive to Wes Fletcher's injury and we can't leave ourselves short in any area of the pitch for the games after the transfer deadline."