GOALKEEPER Paul Crichton, who left York City under a cloud earlier this season is happy he won't come face to face with the Minstermen fans tonight.

He left City in August after a bust-up with travelling fans at Gravesend & Northfleet.

They claimed he said he didn't care about the club and was only there for the money.

His week-to-week contract as player and goalkeeping coach was terminated by the club as a result of the fracas and now, after spells at clubs across the country including Stafford Rangers and Leigh RMI, he is with Accrington Stanley.

But he has been dropped by manager John Coleman for tonight's Gladwish Land Sales National Conference third round North game - and he says he is glad to be out of the line of fire from angry City fans.

He said: "I'm not playing in the match and I can't say I'm really disappointed to be honest.

"I am sure someone would have made something up and it would have all come out again so I'm glad I'm not playing in a way."

But he added that he had nothing to do with the decision.

"The manager decided it," he said. "I don't know why but I won't be playing."

The same City 16 whoengineered Saturday's 1-0 win over Morecambe are set to travel to Lancashire for the tie optimistic of getting a good result.

Caretaker-boss Viv Busby said: "It's a new cup but as we said before with the FA Trophy, we would have loved to have stayed in that. We obviously want to win the game.

"Any cup competition can be good. Again it's a chance to generate a bit of cash from the gate and it can also be a bit of a confidence builder as well.

"When you get out and play you really want to win it. If you're entering it, why not go and try to win it.

"Some people will say that it's not as important as the league and I do tend to agree with that but the game's there to be won so let's go and win it and take it on to next Saturday at Leigh.

"Confidence is what it's all about. It was a nice result on Saturday, the lads worked really hard and that's what we're looking for week in week out.

"We know it's not going to be easy but if we get a good result the confidence will build up from there."

Busby will also be aiming to end City's woeful cup hoodoo with a win to end nearly four years without a national competition triumph.

"I didn't know about that," he said. "But maybe we can put that right.

"There's another little thing for us to go up and try to break the sequence and hopefully we can do it."

Updated: 10:27 Tuesday, January 25, 2005