DAN BATTY is expected to be out until mid-February after beginning a five-week programme at York City.

Batty was spotted doing some light running during York City’s New Year’s Day victory over Gateshead, after a lengthy spell out of the first-team.

However the midfielder isn’t expected to be back available until the middle of next month, with Neal Ardley admitting that it had taken the club quite some time to identify the extent of his injury.

“Dan’s on a long-term programme now, we’ve finally identified what he needs to do,” Ardley explained.

“We’ve got a programme in place and it’s sort of like a five week programme, I would expect Dan Batty, hopefully if nothing goes wrong, to be joining in full training in maybe early to mid-February.

“Then you’ve got full training and however many weeks you need to get him completely up to speed.

“Could we get two or two and a half months out of him at the end of the season Potentially, so that’s where he is.

“We’ve obviously had quite a bit of illness in the camp. Crookesy (Adam Crookes) has had a couple of days off being ill, Ryan Fallowfield played with a little bit of a groin strain so we’ve had to hold him off for most of the week.

“Cedric Main has been ill, we were hoping that he would be in with us on Monday here, but he’s been ill and has only just trained today so that makes it a little bit harder for him.

“Maz (Kouhyar) and Ducky (Michael Duckworth) we have had to ingrain back in because they’ve been wheezy, so we’ve had a lot of that.

“Injury wise, touch wood, it’s been reasonably okay since the game.”

Ardley also confirmed that Finlay Barnes would be part of the York squad travelling down to Boreham Wood on Sunday, January 7 (2pm) after impressing the City boss in training upon the completion of his loan spell with Scarborough Athletic.

“In Fin’s case he has trained during the week, so Fin will travel with the squad.

“We’re taking a 19 man squad tomorrow, David Stockdale hurt his thumb in training and is a bit sore, but he’ll come with us anyway.

“We’ll take three goalies and 16 out-fielders, I want to learn from the mistakes of four subs before.

“So we’ll take a group and Fin will be a part of that, whereas Cedric probably just needs next week as there is nine days between weeks.

“I’ve pulled him and said to him that I am looking at him now, we need him as fit as the rest of the group because they’ve had full-time training compared to Blyth.

“He’s certainly got qualities that you might want to use in the squad for sure.”

Ardley also provided an update on City’s transfer business after the arrival of Billy Chadwick from Stockport County, with the boss keen to improve on the left-back position, despite seeing potential in Thierry Latty-Fairweather.

“We’re working on them, it’s not going to be an influx of loads.

“Obviously Greeny (Olly Green) and Luke Daley had bad chest infections and are still poorly now, so they’ve both gone back to their parent clubs.

“We are looking at one or two players, but we only identified three maybe four players and that’s all we were looking at, and now we’ve got Billy.

“If it’s permanent, they’ve got to be ones that go upwards with us, whereas if it’s loans then it’s slightly different.

“Crookesy is back but we all think he’s a better centre-halve, but he can fill in there.

“But Thierry is still learning his trade and it’s a position that we want to strengthen.

“Me and Thierry have been doing a lot of work, as an athlete and a machine, if I could put my footballing brain into his legs and his body, I would’ve played for England!

“As an athlete, he’s got everything, but he’s only 20 and it’s his first time having a run of games.

“He’s come off in a few games with little niggles and injuries, so there’s still that and it’s hard mentally to get through games of football, that’s when you need your Fallowfield’s and the people who know how to do it.

“Thierry is still part of that learning process, and he’s got loads of potential.”

Finally, Ardley confirmed that striker Ethan Henderson, son of former majority shareholder Glen, had departed the club.

“Ethan is no longer at the football club.”