YORK City boss Gary Mills wants new striker Louis Almond to start fulfilling the potential that saw him score two “worldies” for Southport at Bootham Crescent last season.

Mills also expects former Cardiff midfielder Theo Wharton to demonstrate his midfield ability after the St Kitts & Nevis international put pen to paper too for the Minstermen.

Both have agreed one-year deals.

The double swoop came as Vadaine Oliver, who was placed on the transfer list at his own request at the end of last season, secured his move for an undisclosed fee to Sky Bet League Two outfit Morecambe, as exclusively reported on The Press' website.

Having been farmed out to Notts County last summer, Oliver returned to North Yorkshire in January to score ten goals in 23 games under Mills, including the second in May’s 3-2 FA Trophy final victory over Macclesfield at Wembley.

But, with Almond joining Jon Parkin and Michael Rankine on the books for the 2017/18 National League North campaign and Mills still hoping to bring last season’s on-loan striker Amari Morgan-Smith back to the club, the City chief is satisfied with his potential attacking options.

“Bringing Louis in, along with Jon, Ranks and, hopefully, Amari means we are looking dangerous in attack and we’ve got options to play two or three up there,” Mills pointed out. ”Louis scored two worldies against us last season and I think he’s a player who has underachieved, but he’s always impressed me, so I’m looking forward to having him in my squad and getting the best out of him, because he can score goals and make things happen.”

The 25-year-old forward smashed in two of the most spectacular goals witnessed in a City game last season, despite being on the receiving end of a 5-3 defeat.

At the start of his career, Blackburn-born Almond was part of his home-town’s academy before switching to Blackpool in 2009, where he made his senior debut at the age of 17 in a 2-1 League Cup win at Crewe.

Loan spells followed with Cheltenham, Barrow, Lincoln and Hyde over the next five years and, having been recalled from a season-long spell at the latter, he belatedly made his Blackpool league debut in the Championship from the bench during a televised Lancashire derby clash against Burnley on Good Friday 2014.

He subsequently made a permanent move to Hyde just weeks later, before transferring to Southport where he netted 12 times in 2015/16, prompting Tranmere to pay an undisclosed fee for his services last summer.

But Almond only managed five league games for the Wirral outfit and ended the campaign back at Southport, where he tormented the City defence during March’s eight-goal fest.

Wharton, meanwhile, finished last term at National League South outfit Weston-super-Mare.

He made his professional debut for Cardiff during a 4-2 FA Cup defeat to West Brom back in January 2012 at the age of 17, with then manager Malky Mackay predicting a “big first-team future” for him.

Now 22, he only made one more outing, though, for the Bluebirds during a 2-1 loss to Macclesfield – again in the FA Cup.

Despite representing Wales at under-17, 19 and 21 level, he also switched allegiance to the birthplace of his grandparents and was on full international duty a fortnight ago.

On securing his services, Mills added: “I nearly brought him in last season, but he’s become available now and he’s a good player, who operates in the middle of the park and is good on the ball, as well as being strong.”

Transfer-listed defenders Jack Higgins and Josh Robinson, meanwhile, have left the club by mutual consent.