NEW signing Cedric Main is relishing the chance to play at the LNER Community Stadium, after becoming Michael Morton’s second signing of the Summer.

Main has joined York from Vanarama National League North side Blyth Spartans, joining David Stockdale as one of the new faces on the pitch this season.

The tricky forward is looking forward to starting at his new club, and has explained his footballing background after spells in the Netherlands and Spain.

“I’m very, very pleased. Obviously I’ve played here with Blyth and the moment I came to York I was thinking this looks like a good place to be.” Main told the Press.

“So I was very pleased to get the deal over the line as quick as possible, I think it’s a very big and forward-thinking club, the stadium is new so I’m just delighted to be here.

“Basically I had contact with Lee, my agent, and he contacted me in the Winter break saying there was a couple of interest from clubs in the league above.

“I stayed in touch with him and he asked me if I was interested in getting a move to York, and I told him yes. I played there already and they knew about me and they knew about how I play, so that’s how it went from there.

“I’m the type of player who is very confident in myself and you have to prove it to everyone first.

“You have to respect the league because it’s a league above and things will be better, it’ll be a higher standard.

“But I’m confident in myself and am confident in what I’m capable of, so I’m very confident that I’ll do well in the league.”

Main was born in Suriname, but moved to the Netherlands when he was younger before his footballing career prospered from there, including trials with some of the biggest Dutch clubs.

“Basically I started in Holland, I wasn’t born in Holland but I moved to Holland with my parents when I was young.

“At the start I didn’t even know about football, I come from Suriname and you don’t really play football there, so at the start I didn’t even like football.

“I came to Holland and started playing for a youth team here, an amateur. I did a couple of years here and got scouted by Ajax, went on trial and didn’t make it, went to AZ Alkmaar, went on trial and didn’t make it as well.

“I then went to FC Groningen in the same year and they wanted me.

“They had [Arjen] Robben, [Virgin] Van Dijk and all these big players that started their career in Holland.

“I played there for another season in Holland before going to Spain, for two years I played in Spain and played against B teams of the big clubs like Barcelona B, Valencia B, all of them bigger clubs and their second teams.”

Main made the move to England to play with FC United of Manchester in the Northern Premier League, but his spell in Lancashire was made more difficult by the covid-19 pandemic.

“I played there for two years and after that I went to FC United.

“Obviously covid came around so the league got cancelled and I didn’t play for them, so I went back to Holland and trained here but with lockdown it was very hard.

“I went back to FC and played there for a few months before going to South Shields, played there for a year and after there the manager I played under at Blyth Spartans got the sack, and I went to Blyth Spartans and played with him for seven or eight months before making the move to York.

“That’s basically very quickly my career!”

Main is eager to work under Morton after joining the club, and is happy to be working under a manger who studied the forward intently before his arrival.

The attacker also admitted he is enjoying his football and is very eager to get going at the LNER Community Stadium, with friendlies fast approaching against Sky Bet Championship sides Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough, as well as a match against Sky Bet League Two outfit Doncaster Rovers on the pre-season agenda.

“I’m very, very excited!

“I met him at the ground when I went to sign the deal, the main thing is that for me it’s important when the manager knows what you’re capable of, knows your qualities and knows your strengths and weaknesses, and I felt like he knew exactly what type of player I was.

“Obviously he brought me in but still he was explaining to me my game, he’s done his homework.

“We had a good chat and I’m very pleased and delighted, I can’t wait to start!

“Everyone thinks I’m a striker, but I wouldn’t say I’m a striker as I can play anywhere up front.

“I can play left-mid, right-mid, play in the ten or play as a striker as well but I wouldn’t say it’s my main position. I’m just anywhere up front.

“I’ll play where the manager wants me to play, if he wants me to play in the striker position then I’ll play in the striker position, but I’m anywhere up front and I don’t mind.

“If the manager thinks it’s good for me to play striker then I’ll play striker, but if he wants me to play left or right wing or as the number ten then I’ll play that position.

“I will just do it, I enjoy playing football and that’s the important thing!”