Football: Dolan new City chief

York City moved quickly to appoint their new manager with Terry Dolan being handed the Bootham Crescent hot-seat today.

The 49-year-old will certainly provide the experience that City chairman Douglas Craig is seeking with an impressive CV that covers four decades in the professional game.

Following the departure of Neil Thompson by mutual consent on Wednesday morning, Craig had suggested that the club would wait until next week to name a successor but have acted smartly to land their man.

Dolan will be at tomorrow's division three home game against Rotherham United but the team will be guided by Thompson's assistant Adie Shaw.

Dolan arrived at Bootham Crescent this afternoon and stated his desire to bring the good times back to the club.

After taking his first look at the club's training facilities this morning he said: "I want to put a smile of everybody's faces. When you've had a slump like York have had there are reasons for it.

"What has gone on in the past has got nothing to do with me but what goes on in the future has everything to do with me. And everybody has got to be positive.

"If the supporters have got a smile on their faces then I'm sure the players will as well."

Dolan saw York in action last season and believes the players have the potential for better things.

He said: "It is fair to say the present crop of players have under-achieved and my first job is to get them performing better.

"For the last two years the club has been on a downward spiral and we have to arrest that quickly and start going the other way.

"They should be capable of better than they are showing at the moment."

Dolan's playing career took him from hometown club Bradford City, the Huddersfield Town and then back to Valley Parade where he was to make 448 League appearances.

He ended his playing career with Rochdale before returning once more to the Bantams to become team manager in January 1987. That was the start of a long career in management which also included spells at Hull City, Rochdale - and now York.

Don't miss tomorrow's Evening Press with a full interview with the new man at City's helm.

Board's statement

The York City board issued the following statement: "The directors of York City are pleased to announce the appointment of Terry Dolan as their manager with immediate effect.

"They are of the opinion that his extensive experience as a manager and coach at all levels in the Nationwide League are such that he is the ideal person for the position.

"The board would also like to place on record their appreciation of Huddersfield Town's helpful co-operation in making it possible for Terry Dolan to take up the post immediately."

Terry Dolan FACTFILE

Born: Bradford June 11, 1950

1967 - The 17-year-old striker joins Bradford City as an amateur.

April 1969 - Turns professional with Bradford.

October 1970 - Signs for Huddersfield Town for a £7,000 fee, over the next four seasons the Terriers drop from the old first division to the fourth.

August 1976 - Returns to Bradford City for a £10,000 fee, Bantams win promotion from division four in 1977.

August 1981 - Signs for Rochdale having made 448 games scoring 58 goals in his two spells at Valley Parade.

August 1982 - Returns to hometown Bradford to play for non-League club Thackley.

January 1985 - Returns to Bradford City as youth team coach having started his coaching career as Harrogate Town player-coach.

August 1986 - Becomes the first team coach at Valley Parade.

January 1987 - Is appointed Bradford City manager and inspires a successful battle against relegation from the old second division as City win seven of their last 10 games of the 1986-87 campaign.

May 1988 - Leads City into the second division play-offs but they fail to reach Wembley as they are beaten by Middlesbrough over two legs.

January 1989 - Parts company with Bradford City being sacked after a series of poor results.

March 1989 - Is appointed manager of fourth division Rochdale.

March 1990 - Takes unfashionable Dale to the fifth round of the FA Cup where they are beaten by eventual runners-up Crystal Palace.

February 1991 - Is lured away from Spotland to manage second division Hull City but is unable to prvent them slipping being relegated.

May 1992 - Wins promotion with the Tigers at the first time of asking.

May 1996 - The Tigers slip back down into the Football League's basement.

July 1997 - Departs cash stricken Boothferry Park and is hired as reserve team manager by Peter Jackson at first division Huddersfield Town, a post he retained when Steve Bruce replaced Jackson in June 1999.

February 2000 - Appointed manager of York City.

Dolan backs current players

New York City boss Terry Dolan is determined to get the best out of the Bootham Crescent players.

The former Bradford, Rochdale and Hull manager will not swing the axe or splash out in the transfer market because he is backing the current crop of players to prove they are better than recent results suggest.

Dolan, who was appointed this afternoon, will have a watching brief as fourth from bottom City take on third division leaders Rotherham United at Bootham Crescent tomorrow, leaving assistant manager Adie Shaw to take charge of the team, and then start the job of turning the club's fortunes around on Monday.

"I will be in the stand tomorrow and leave Adie and the players to get on with it," said Dolan.

"It will give me a chance to see what's what, and then I can get stuck into the job on Monday.

"But at this moment in time there will be no changes in the staff.

"The team are in a position that they should not be in, I feel there is more to come out of these players and it is up to me to get it out of them."

See York City section for further information

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