ERIC WINSTANLEY wants former glories to return to York City's junior system after agreeing terms to stay at the club as head of youth development.

The production line at KitKat Crescent, which produced the likes of Premiership players Jonathan Greening, Graeme Murty, Richard Cresswell and Darren Williams, has stalled in recent years.

But Winstanley knows the importance of having a strong junior set-up, not only to bring cash into the club but more immediately to boost City's own first team.

"In the past I've always admired the set-up at York," said the 63-year-old, who became City's youth coach in September initially on a one-month trial basis.

"It was a small club who brought young lads through, and there have been some very good players come through the system at York and go on to big things.

"Maybe in recent years it's not been the same, but the club is trying to recreate that.

"That's one of my briefs. If you take over a job like this, you want to see young players coming here from the York area, get a chance to get a foot in football, and progress enough to get into the first team and take York higher up the leagues.

"You want to see York become a successful club helped by having a good strong youth policy.

"If they play well for the club, it gets the club moving higher and, if players are good enough to go even further, you will get the rewards in transfer fees, which is another way of helping the club progress and making the club more stable."

Winstanley was Neil Redfearn's assistant manager at Scarborough last season but is best known for a 24-year coaching career at Barnsley.

Having played for the Tykes from 1960 to 1973, he returned to Oakwell after four years with Chesterfield, and was part of the coaching team that famously guided Barnsley into the Premier League, working under Danny Wilson and alongside Colin Walker, who is now reserve team coach at KitKat Crescent.

Winstanley later became technical director of the St Kitts and Nevis national team, coached in Zanzibar, and was youth team manager at Doncaster Rovers in 2004/05.

"I enjoy coaching," he said. "In my career I've done different levels and different teams, and seeing fruits of your labour is always very satisfying.

"As a youth coach when you see one of your young blokes in the first team it's very fulfilling."

Asked if he set targets such as getting a certain number of players into the first team, he said: "I never set targets other than improvement. I like to see improvement quickly all round at youth level.

"In my year at Doncaster I had two first-year YTs make their debuts and another in the first-team pool, and that was very pleasing.

"At Barnsley we had seven players that came through the system and be in the first-team squad in the Premiership.

"I'm a big believer in youth and have a great affinity with getting youth players through."