YORK City interim manager Michael Morton has confirmed that Gus Mafuta and Maziar Kouhyar will travel down to Wealdstone for this Saturday’s match.

Morton’s side will make the long journey down to Grosvenor Vale on Saturday (3pm), albeit with familiar faces returning to the squad.

Kouhyar and Mafuta have been long-term absentees after struggling with an abductor injury and a calf injury, but having now returned to training, they will be eased back into the squad starting on Saturday.

Kouhyar will be a highly-anticipated return, as the tricky winger has recently extended his deal with the Minstermen for a further two-and-a-half years.

“Gus and Maz have been in and around training so that’s a positive.” Morton confirmed.

“With him [Kouhyar] he is such a good player. After he signed his contract we just wanted to settle him down a little bit, he wants to be back playing.

“But the biggest thing for us is that we don’t want him to come back and break, the main thing for us is to get him back when he is fully fit and he can get on the pitch and affect things.

“Him and Gus will be travelling down with us at the weekend which is a good thing, whether if it is to just be in and around it or on the bench, we haven’t decided yet.

Morton also confirmed that goalkeeper Ethan Ross wouldn’t be involved with the squad, after visiting hospital last Sunday when he felt unwell.

“Ethan Ross has not trained yet.

“Unfortunately he went into hospital on Sunday and started to feel quite unwell, he’s now on the mend but obviously has not trained so Ryan [Whitley] will keep his place for Saturday.

“Ryan had a really good performance last week so it was going to give us a headache anyways, but the main thing for Ethan is that he makes sure he looks after himself and gets himself back as soon as possible.

“Luke James has unfortunately come down as ill as well, so he won’t be involved with the squad.

“We’ve just got a couple more to assess in terms of niggles so apart from the long-term ones of Tommo [Nathan Thomas] and Sam Sanders, who should be back next week.

“Ducky [Michael Duckworth] has just managing a little niggly injury.

“I’ve said it before but we need honest players, we need them to be fit, we can’t be chopping and changing the team and we don’t want to be putting players on that aren’t 100 per cent and pulling them off halfway through.

“So Ducky will be back in and around it, but I think we don’t want to be moving away from what got us a clean sheet last week.

“Hopefully if everything goes right today and tomorrow it looks like we can keep a sort of solid side.

There will be one guaranteed change for York however, with the ever-reliable Mitch Hancox beginning a two-match suspension after accumulating ten yellow cards this season.

“Mitch Hancox is suspended for two games.

“He’ll be a miss because I thought he was outstanding last weekend, he’s given us a lot of energy coming back into that midfield and looking back at the game I thought he was outstanding.

However, a new role in the squad awaits Hancox.

“He’s going to come and be part of the staff I think this weekend, so that’ll be good.

“I don’t know what role yet, but we’ll see.”