With the transfer window due to close at 5pm today, York City midfielder Andy Ferrell is being reported as ready to sign a one-and-a-half-year deal with Blue Square Premier rivals Gateshead.

The 26-year-old is expected to be one of a quartet of new signings announced by the north-east club after spending much of this season on the bench at Bootham Crescent.

However, he did score the winner from the penalty spot in the 1-0 FA Trophy victory against Corby Town at the weekend.

“Ferrell is a player I tried to sign in the close season,” Gateshead boss Ian Bogie told the Evening Chronicle. “But the lure of a full-time contract at York meant we missed out.

“He is an aggressive player who puts his foot in. He is the sort of player we need and is a fellow Geordie so we’re delighted to bring him home.

“He is a seasoned player at this level, having helped Hereford back into the Football League, and he did well at Kidderminster last season.”

Gateshead are also chasing Scunthorpe United winger Peter Winn, who spent a loan spell on Tyneside earlier in the season.