GRAHAM Alexander insisted his hand wasn’t forced with leaving out Jake Young for City’s first home game.

The striker was absent from the squad in Saturday’s goalless draw with Salford.

Young had played the final quarter of last week’s Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby and scored in the penalty shoot-out.

But Tyler Smith took his place on the bench at Valley Parade, although he did not come on.

Young remains the target of transfer speculation with Crawley still thought to be keen on the striker.

Wigan were said to be interested in the 22-year-old as well as Barnsley but there have been no developments on that front.

But with 11 days to go before the August 30 deadline, Alexander stressed his absence from the weekend team sheet had nothing to do with any external influences.

“It was just a selection issue for me,” said the City boss.

“He was in the squad on Friday. We always name a larger squad than the matchday one to make sure we’re covered.

“We then bring one or two off every Saturday morning, whoever the excess is, and Jake was one of them.

“We’ve looked at training, we’ve looked at games and I judge it every week.

“I thought the players obviously starting from last week but also the bench had all showed that they deserved to be involved.

“I’ve not been given any more news on Jake.

“There are clubs constantly talking to his representative and stuff like that.

“But that was the case on Tuesday, that was the case last Saturday, it’s always ongoing.

“I just have to look at the players and pick the ones I believe can help us to win a game.”

Alex Gilliead was again not involved as City wait to see what he will decide to do next. The midfielder, who has not been named in any squad so far, has turned down one offer from another club.

Alexander added: “There’s nothing new on that.

“I obviously planned for the game on Friday and got on with that at training. I’ve not heard from Gilly or from anybody else.”

Meanwhile, Alexander would love to see goal-line technology introduced in the lower leagues after the Andy Cook controversy against Salford.

 

 

Pictures showed Cook’s shot in the second half had crossed the line before it was cleared by defender Stephan Negru.

“I don’t know the cost of goal-line technology but there is a lot of money in the game and it is really important.

“It would certainly help because it is definitive. It’s not a load of arguing for three minutes but a check of a watch and it’s done.

“We were on the wrong end of it this time. There might be a certain point of the season when we’re on the right side, I don’t know.

“It’s played by humans, reffed by humans and sometimes mistakes happen.”

Negru was adamant that referee Geoff Eltringham had got it right.

"It didn’t cross the line," he said. "I can guarantee it, otherwise the referee would have given it, not a chance."