"SIPPING my half time cup of tea on a visit to see York City at Bootham Crescent recently," writes football fan and history buff Mike Race, "it suddenly came to me why Terry Doyle had said York City would be the 'Arsenal of the Conference'.

"Of course it would be nothing to do with the way we played - that would have been too silly for words - but that we would be wearing the same red and white strip!

"He may also have thought that we could match Arsenal with the prices in our refreshment kiosks: £1.30 for tea from in a plastic cup, 80 pence for a chunky KitKat bar, 80 pence for a packet of crisps - Betty's prices! (Well almost).

"Are these the dearest snack prices in football?"

Does anyone know any different?

STILL with the beautiful game, here is a great little item culled from our pages 100 years ago.

"The York footballers, when they turned out at Huddersfield, were rechristened by the crowd.

"The striped stockings seemed to tickle the fancy of the spectators, who at once called them 'The Convicts'.

"After the match they called them other things."

SO who are York City playing on Saturday? They are travelling to Hull, at least according to the Radio York schedules, as recorded on the station's website. This promises "full commentary of Hull City v York City FM only" as part of North Yorkshire Sport from 2pm.

How strange: Hull City are in Football League One, not the Conference. And everyone else seems to think that this Saturday sees the Minstermen's big FA Cup clash with Carlisle United.

We look forward to this unique commentary from Radio York, one-time official media sponsor of York City.

AS a father who has earned the greatest respect from his brood (one of whom calls me Stinky Pants while the other hits me about the head with a drumstick) your Diarist was well aware that National Parenting Week kicked off on Saturday.

The event runs all week. If you want to know more, contact Linda Murphy, York council's new parenting education co-ordinator.

Oh, wait a minute, better not. She's on leave all week.

TWO old lamps adorn the entrance to the De Grey Rooms, and a very splendid introduction to the tourist information bureau they make too.

At least in the daylight. The Diary is informed that both lights - one bearing energy saving bulbs, the other not - do not work.

But they do bear a sticker each asking the public to report faulty lights. Perhaps people can't read the number in the gloom.

MY thanks to Dale Minks, honorary squatter and Diary field agent, who has answered our question from last Thursday: what is a "pinder"?

He dropped in a copy of the relevant page from his New English Dictionary, which is very new, dating from March 1932.

This defines pinder like this: "1) to shut up; 2) a pound-keeper, an officer appointed by a parish, etc, to impound stray beasts".

Now it makes sense.

A FRESH challenge for Diary readers. Retired taxi driver Ken Anderson has heard that there was a street in York called Chippy Lane. But where?

"I can only think it is one of those back lanes which was cleared away," he said.

Ken has checked in his copy of Kelly's Directory and not found it. Can anyone else direct us to this Chippy?

Updated: 11:01 Tuesday, October 26, 2004