YORK City caretaker boss Sam Collins could change his captain for Monday’s home clash against Blyth Spartans despite admitting that Joe Tait was a natural in the role at Brackley.

Tait was given the armband during this afternoon’s 0-0 draw with last term’s National League North play-off finalists, even thought Russ Penn has stood in as skipper during Sean Newton’s absence through injury.

Ex-Hartlepool and Port Vale defender Collins, though, admits he will consider another player as skipper in City’s next match if he feels that will get that little bit extra out of their performance for the team.

“There were five or six lads I could have chosen as captain,” the Pontefract-born, 41-year-old reasoned. “I thought Hamza (Bencherif) was excellent as was Joe, while Simon Heslop and Russ Penn did what I expected of them in midfield.

“Any one of them could have been skipper and, against Blyth, it could be somebody else. I want as many captains as possible and it doesn’t always have to be the same person if I think giving it to somebody else will get that little bit more out of them on the day. From what I have seen of Joe, though, and from knowing him in the past when I was at Hartlepool and he was an apprentice, he’s a great character who is brilliant to have around.

“The way he goes about the game is infectious. He’s moody and wants to win, so he’s the right type of person for the job.” Collins also sprung another shock when 18-year-old left-winger Fergus McAughtrie, who has been training with City’s youth team having left Sunderland’s academy in the summer, was handed his senior debut.

The former Archbishop Holgate School pupil is the son of former City defender Dave and impressed at St James Park before being replaced on 84 minutes, with Collins enthusing: “Fergus has been with the under-19s for the last five or six weeks and he’s full of energy.

“He’s also been a left back in the past, so he could track their full back, who we knew likes to get forward. I thought he was excellent before he started to tire after about 70 minutes.

“He’s been at Leeds and Newcastle in the past as well and, when our under-19s played against Newcastle last weekend, he was the best player on the pitch by a mile so, when I was offered the caretaker job, I knew straight away I wanted to play him. He fits into the way I want to play because he’s a trier who can get up and down the pitch and young players just need people to believe in them.

“He’s also a York lad and I know how much the club like that and it’s great for the fans to see him out there as well. When I’ve been a caretaker before, I’ve never been afraid to play young players, whether they’re 17 or 18 and he almost scored for us.

“It was a great strike and he did exactly the same thing against Newcastle for the under-19s, getting in the same position by driving inside but, whereas the Brackley keeper made a good save, he hit that one just over. He also had his nose bust, so it was a proper welcome to first-team football, because he’ll probably get a few of those in his career.

“He was laughing about it afterwards, though, because he’s a really, good kid.”

McAughtrie’s call-up was one of three changes to Martin Gray’s final starting-line up as manager, with David Ferguson and Josh Law kicking off their first matches of the season, as the temporary chief played a flexible 4-3-3 formation, with an onus on patient possession play.

“Over the years, it’s one of the formations I’ve liked to play, so we picked the personnel we felt suited that,” Collins explained.

The former Hartlepool caretaker boss went on to admit he had mixed emotions about his first game in charge, feeling his inherited squad should never be fully satisfied with anything less than maximum points.

“I really enjoyed it and, as a former defender, you pride yourselves on clean sheets and I thought we defended the box really well against their big, physical lads, but I’d have enjoyed the game even more if we had won,” he declared. “We had some really good spells in the game and started really well.

“The players bought into what we had worked on at the training ground, with our midfield getting on the ball in our first third of the field if necessary. We also created four or five situations and, even though Brackley did well last season and had a good win last week, I wanted to win the game because I feel, with the good group of players we have got, we should set up to win every game and that’s the expectation I have of them.

“We had a few shots from distance and, if one of those had gone in, it would have given us something to hang on to. In the second half, we just lacked that bit of quality which wins you matches.

“We also needed to be more composed on the ball without forcing things if the pass isn’t on, because I know this group can keep possession and play. They just need to have that belief, because they did it really well in the first half and we’ll keep working on it for as long as I’m in this position.”

Jon Parkin was replaced by Jordan Burrow just past the hour mark, with Collins admitting he had one eye on the quick turnaround for the Blyth match too.

“We were thinking about whether Jon could do two lots of 90 minutes in three days and we had the option of putting Jordan on, because we thought they would tire late on, so it would be good to get another quick forward player on the pitch,” he explained.

Adriano Moke, meanwhile, was left in North Yorkshire with Collins adding: “He’s got a niggle, so I didn’t want him to travel six or seven hours on a coach if he wasn’t going to start. We’ll see if he recovers in 48 hours, so he can be involved in the next game hopefully.”

Collins is also hoping the team can now perform in a manner that will win back the support of the Minstermen faithful, following the unrest of the last two contests at Bootham Crescent when one point from a possible six was taken against Alfreton Town and Curzon Ashton.

“We need the fans to get behind us,” he confessed. “We’ve got some talented young players and some good senior professionals and, if you run around, work hard and give the supporters something to enjoy, they’ll back you, because that’s the same at all clubs at any level.”