THE National Lottery may not have made a group of female York City programme sellers millionaires but it could play a part in saving the club's reserve team.

City-mad supporters Dawn Holtby, Cathy Parker and Marie Barker formed a lottery syndicate six years ago and, while they have not hit the jackpot, the ladies have won £300 which they are now ready to donate towards Billy McEwan's Evening Press appeal to keep the reserves in the Pontin's League season.

A £10,000 target has been set and the club have until April 21 to reverse their decision to pull out of the league.

The programme sellers' gesture, plus money raised at last night's Happy Wanderers FA Cup semi-final 50th anniversary dinner, means the tally has now topped £7,000.

Dawn, who has sold programmes at home games since 1990 and followed City for 38 years, said: "We have put money on the Lottery every Wednesday night for six years and it was always our intention to put any winnings into the club.

"We've won £300 and, after discussing it on the way back from Tamworth, we decided that we wanted it to go to the reserves as it's an issue we believe is important."

With three weeks to go to the deadline, users of the Red and Blue website, co-ordinated by Matthew Flint, have upped their donation from £500 to £925, and Nicholas Magson has sent a cheque for £500.

A group of six York City fans have also handed over the proceeds of their sponsored bike ride to Doncaster Rovers.

The Minstermen supporters raised £425 after the 40-mile trip and have decided to donate the money to McEwan's bid to continue running a team in next season's Pontin's League.

Peter George, Laurence Kay, Lisa Chatterton, Simon Craft, David Venables and Matthew Jones all cycled to South Yorkshire.

George, a City supporter for more than 20 years, said: "Other clubs, such as Newcastle, have abandoned their reserve teams in the past only to realise the need to reinstate them at a later date. We feel the reserve team is an integral part of any football club."

Last night's celebration dinner saw £825 raised from an auction of three framed photographs from the 1954/55 era.

Sales of a DVD featuring interviews with former chairman Hugh Kitchin and absent Happy Wanderers Arthur Bottom and Tommy Forgan, as well as Path news footage of the famous cup run, also proved a popular purchase at £10 with proceeds donated to the reserve fund.

A bucket collection will be made at Saturday's home match with Gravesend and Northfleet as City supporters get ever closer to the £10,000 target.

Updated: 09:55 Thursday, March 31, 2005