FORMER York City midfielder Elliott Durrell has said that he sees no reason why interim manager John Askey cannot be a success at the club.

Durrell played under the new City boss at Macclesfield Town, where Askey spent over 25 years as a player and a manager, and was part of the side which won the National League title in 2017/18.

Despite having one of the lowest budgets in the division, Macclesfield secured automatic promotion to League Two past some far bigger spenders that season.

While elevation to the Football League seems like stuff of fantasy to York, currently 11th in National League North, Durrell believes his former boss will send the Minstermen in the right direction.

“I don’t see any reason why he can’t be a success,” he said. “John’s managed Macclesfield, Shrewsbury and Port Vale, but you could argue that York are the biggest club he’s managed, if you go off the fanbase and the structure.

“It’s a brilliant move for him. Ultimately he has to go in and get results, but I don’t see any reason why, with the squad of players that he’s got, why he can’t turn things around, get the team on a good run and heading in the right direction.

“I think that he will be perfect for the squad at York. At this level, York should always be top of the table and competing for promotion.

“I’m sure he will want to go down there and stamp his authority on the squad and look to hit the ground running.”

Given that York were a League Two club just over five years ago, expectations are high due to the size of the club.

“There is going to be that pressure and it was a little bit different at Macclesfield because there was a bit of discontent between the playing staff and owner with the financial issues,” added Durrell.

“But without those financial issues and big crowds at the games, he can focus purely on the football-side of things.

“I don’t see any reason why, even with the fans that put pressure on the team and the expectation, he’s not going to be able to turn things around and get the team up the league.”

Attacking midfielder Durrell, now of AFC Telford United, enjoyed one of his best ever campaigns, being named in the National League Team of the Year, partly thanks to the management of Askey.

“He was probably one of the best managers that I’ve worked under, if not the best,” hailed the 32-year-old.

“He is a man of very few words in terms of the limelight of the press and the way that he maybe comes across to people.

“But when he is on the training field or in the changing room with the lads, he’s completely different and he leaves no stone unturned.

“He’s a very good man-manager and I thoroughly enjoyed my time working under him in what was a successful time for Macclesfield.”

Speaking in particular about the title-winning season, Durrell said: “It was an achievement that a lot of people compared to Leicester’s heroics winning the Premier League.

“We were in the bottom two or three for budgets in the National League, I think. In pre-season, we only had two players signed on from the season before.

“So it was a brand-new squad that John had put together. We clicked straight away and within a couple of weeks of the season, we really thought we had something special.

“Obviously we went on to win the league and it was a very memorable and successful season.”

Former manager Steve Watson came under criticism from supporters for the style of football that his sides played, a charge which seems unlikely to be levelled at Askey.

“It was ‘Ultimate Football’ at Macclesfield", said Durrell. "John likes his teams to get the ball down and play. Obviously there are times in games where you do need to turn the opposition and play slightly differently.

“A lot of drills, that we replicated in matches, were possession-based in tight areas where you’ve got to be comfortable on the ball.

"We were very much a footballing side and we liked to play through the lines."