York City v Boreham Wood: Neal Ardley in a rush as weeding-out process begins

The former Wimbledon winger and experienced lower and non-league manager has had two training sessions to find an XI to host Boreham Wood on Saturday but keen to add players to a bloated squad, he must also have an eye on who should fall away.

"I've had two days to just give everyone an opportunity to say, 'Aah, that was great,'" said Ardley. "I've got to work out who might be able to carry off what I want after two days, who's taken it in quite quickly, who are the fittest?

"It’s been 32C. If I overdid these two days you'd have a group of players with no legs on Saturday."

York have used 25 players already in their winless start.

"There's too many and even financially it's unsustainable,” argued Ardley. "It's a classic group of players thrown in together who haven't learnt each other yet and have probably played three or four different systems.

"I've focused on how we're going to play with the ball because I don't just want to set us up at home to worry about the opposition. But we're playing Boreham Wood – long throws, balls in our box, big, strong – so we spent 40 minutes on set pieces.

"Alex Woodyard will hopefully be training next week with Callum Harriott. Lennie (Lenell John-Lewis) has got the final game of his suspension and it looks like there's a little fracture at the bottom of Levi (Andoh)’s back. (Michael) Duckworth's still trying to get through his tendinopothy."

One former Middlesbrough right-back, Neil Cox, will be Ardley's assistant but another, Tony McMahon, stays on as coach.