York City vs Northampton Town preview - Hirst set for first start

Posted Friday, August 15, 2014 by PA

York boss Nigel Worthington could be forced to hand teenage striker Ben Hirst his full league debut against Northampton following an injury to Ryan Jarvis.

Jarvis was stretchered off during the midweek Capital One Cup defeat to Doncaster after damaging ankle ligaments, while fellow forwards Wes Fletcher and Jake Hyde are both nursing knee injuries.

Centre-half Keith Lowe is in contention to return to partner John McCombe at the heart of defence in place of Dave Winfield and summer signing Luke Summerfield could make his first league start in midfield.

Lewis Montrose is hoping for a bigger role after stepping off the bench in midweek, but fellow midfielder Josh Carson (knee) remains sidelined.

Northampton will have midfielders Chris Hackett, Emile Sinclair and Darren Carter back in their squad.

Carter (hamstring) and Hackett (Achilles) picked up minor knocks in last weekend's season-opening win against Mansfield and missed Tuesday night's brave success at Wolves in the Capital One Cup.

Sinclair has yet to feature this term due to a groin injury but is now available, leaving just Kelvin Langmead (Achilles), Lewis Hornby (tendonitis) and Connor Roberts (groin) on the sidelines.

Chris Wilder has urged Town to stay focused after the notable triumph at Molineux, as he told Cobblers Player: "I'm determined not to let this be an 'after the Lord Mayor's show' kind of performance - we have to show consistency and a good attitude. You can't always guarantee the result but I will demand they are consistent in their approach and during the game."