YORK City boss Steve Watson is looking to recruit up to ten new faces over the summer.

The Minstermen will wrap up their National League North programme at home to TAFC Telford United on Saturday with a second successive mid-table finish guaranteed.

But 17 of the senior squad, including on-loan quintet Tom Bradbury, Scott Burgess, Paddy McLaughlin, David Mirfin and Jasper Moon, are not contracted to the Minstermen beyond this weekend, with Adam Bartlett, Hamza Bencherif, Alex Harris, Simon Heslop, Alex Kempster, Macaulay Langstaff, Josh Law, Adriano Moke, Jon Parkin, Dan Parslow, Joe Tait and Ryan Whitley all currently without confirmed employers for next season.

Watson has revealed that the club are in discussions with some existing players concerning deals for next season but admitted that his close-season recruitment drive could hit double-figures depending on how many are retained.

“With the number of players that are signed for next season, we probably need to bring in about ten to start with, but that all depends on whether any of the lads we are talking to decide to stay, including the loan players," the City chief explained. “As a management team, our recruitment plans for next season pretty much started when we first got here in January.

“We’ve constantly been looking at where we need to strengthen and there have been numerous meetings between myself, (assistant-manager) Micky (Cummins) and (sporting director) Dave (Penney), where various lists of players have been drawn up. If we’re being ambitious, then we might be asking players to drop down one or two leagues, so it’s about selling York City and I think we’re in a really good position to do that.

“Bootham Crescent is still a great ground anyway, but we’ve got a fantastic stadium on the way, great training facilities, a big crowd, strong infrastructure and a beautiful city to live in. There’s so much going for the club and I’m hoping that will entice people here.

“Like any manager, I’ve got a list and, if we get the players we want most, then brilliant. If not, we have other targets and there are lots of options.”

Having held talks with the board, Watson went on to add that next season’s playing budget will be sufficient to secure promotion.

The ex-Everton defender also feels he will benefit from a more stable environment to recruit from than he found himself at Gateshead last summer when he, nevertheless, moulded together a squad that were in National League play-off contention for the majority of the campaign. “I’m confident about the budget and always knew it would be enough to get us promoted, as it should have been during the last two seasons,” Watson declared. “I was always going to be happy with the budget, considering what I worked with in the league above when we put a team together that was in the play-offs whilst I was there.

“Gateshead don’t own their stadium, so it was a completely different scenario and a lot of players came to play for me and Micky and enjoyed it. We had a lot on trial at the start of pre-season who we then signed like Greg Olley, Steven Rigg, Scott Boden and Mike Williamson and they all did great.

“We only had five players signed when we returned for the summer, because the chairman wouldn’t allow us to bring anybody in before he had sold the club. But, this summer, I’ll be expecting to start pre-season with between 12 and 15 players, then add to that as we go.”

Telford go into this weekend’s match still hoping to grab a play-off place and could join top-seven sides Altrincham, Chorley and Spennymoor in completing a double over the Minstermen this season.

Following Monday’s 3-1 victory at sixth-placed Bradford Park Avenue, though, Watson is hoping his players can demonstrate their ability to now compete better with the league’s higher-placed teams.

He said: “Telford need to win so will be flat to the boards, but Bradford needed to beat us, and we started quickly and maintained that level of performance. It’s our last game and I desperately want to win it.

“From February onwards, our form has been as good as anybody’s really and, if we had put a season together like that, we’d definitely be in the play-offs.

“But I’d still like to dominate another team who have been in the play-offs. That would give the lads as much belief as I have, because I don’t feel there’s much difference in this league between seven or eight teams outside of the top two, who have been the most consistent and are fighting for the title.”

City are expected to be without Jake Wright, who has missed the last two matches with a hamstring problem, as well as Jon Parkin (knee), Simon Heslop (knee) and Dan Parslow (concussion).

Midfielder Adriano Moke is also doubtful after missing out at Bradford with groin and knee problems.