Worthy factor gives York hope

Nigel Worthington's success has not surprised Fleetwood striker Iain Hume as he prepares to face the York boss in the play-offs.

Worthington, in his first full season at Bootham Crescent, admits the Minstermen are ahead of schedule following a barnstorming run during the second half of the season which has lifted them to the brink of promotion. The former Northern Ireland manager's no-nonsense approach steered York from relegation danger into the final play-off place at a canter, and only two defeats since the turn of the year suggest there will be little to choose between his side and big-spending Fleetwood in the first leg at Bootham Crescent. York launched their current 17-game unbeaten run with a 2-1 win at Fleetwood in February and Hume is hoping his own insight can help to give Graham Alexander's side the edge. "I know their manager, Nigel's a good manager and he'll definitely have them working hard," said Hume, who has scored one goal in eight appearances for Fleetwood since arriving on loan from Preston in March. "I had him at Leicester for 15 games (in 2007) and he didn't half have us working hard. "He kept us up in the Championship and we know what's going to happen. "He was brilliant. He took training, he got involved in training every day. "He came into a squad of players that had a habit of losing and he came in, changed it and kept us up. "It was all football-based, when Nigel came in it was, not in a bad way, regimental. "He was like, 'We're doing this, we're doing this and we're doing this', and stick to that and we'll get out of this and we did. "He'd come out with his whistle round his neck and he'd take you on the warm-up and he'd go hell for leather round the training ground. "Everyone hated it but they were ready for training so the benefit was there. "He's one of the managers I haven't got a bad word to say about." Worthington's January transfer window signings - goalkeeper Nick Pope, Russell Penn and John McCombe - have proved inspired additions, while Hume knows all about York's on-loan Preston pair Ben Davies and Will Hayhurst. "Ben's my old boot boy," Hume added. "He was my boot boy when he was a YT. They're two good lads, two hard-working lads." York, promoted back to the Football League after an eight-year absence in 2012, are bidding for a fifth Wembley appearance in just over five years and Worthington is confident his players will not sink under the weight of expectation. "We're going to approach it like we've approached all our other games," the 52-year-old said. "We know it's going to be very tough over two games, but we won't change anything. "We go into every game trying to win so nothing's different about this one. "I'm quite content to be at home first. Our home form has been good and we've been playing well away as well. "We know it's a big game. They will be two tough games and we're looking forward to the challenge. "Fleetwood are a strong club. They've had a very good season and have good players. "It really is job on and we're going to relish the challenge."