A SUCCESSFUL start to the next season's Conference campaign could seriously boost City boss Chris Brass' transfer funds.

City's board have sensibly based their wage budget for 2004/2005 on average attendances of 2,000 during the club's first taste of non-league football in 75 years but, if last season's relegated clubs Shrewsbury and Exeter are to be gauged as reliable precedents, then crowds could be double the Minstermen's estimate if Brass's team are challenging at the top end of the table.

Play-off finalists Shrewsbury have enjoyed an increase of 150 on their average home gate during the Shropshire club's last campaign in the Football League.

They were also the best-supported side in this season's Conference with an average crowd of 3,805 at Gay Meadow.

Exeter boasted the league's second-highest average crowd of 3,538 despite their Devon base and were only 200 supporters down on last season's figure, which was somewhat distorted by a final day turnout of 9,036 against Southend.

The Grecians narrowly missed out on a play-off spot and the introduction of the system has had an uplifting effect on attendances in non-league football's upper echelon.

Shrewsbury and Exeter both traditionally have similar-sized fans bases to City, where an average crowd of 3,963 came through the Bootham Crescent turnstiles this season.

Recent Conference history would suggest, therefore, that should the newly-relegated Minstermen stay in top-five contention next season then gates could remain at a similar level and almost double the board's necessarily prudent prediction which would, in turn, give Brass a more attractive budget with which to attract players.

If the Minstermen do average crowds of 2,000 then, based on this season's figures, they would be the seventh-best supported team in the Conference.

Seven Conference clubs attracted higher average gates last season and, while champions Chester City (2,888) and either Shrewsbury or fellow play-off finalists Aldershot Town (3,145) will be departing, Carlisle, who were relegated along with City, should boast the biggest crowd after 5,617 fans came through the Brunton Park turnstiles at an average home match this campaign.

A typical home gate of 2,000 would also, based on this season's Conference averages, place City lower than Telford United (2,137), Woking (2,343) and Hereford United (3,367) while Stevenage Borough (1,981) would be the most similar Conference club in terms of crowd size.

City's nearest neighbours in next season's Conference Scarborough (1,666) and Halifax (1,452) were 13th and 14th in the 2003/2004 average attendance table while newly-promoted pair Crawley Town and Canvey Island boasted respective averages of 1,381 and 586 during their championship-winning Doc Marten's League and Ryman League campaigns.

THE latest five York City recruits hoping to follow in the footsteps of ex-Minstermen youth stars Jonathan Greening and Richard Cresswell have signed three-year scholarships at Bootham Crescent.

They include one York-born midfielder as well as two youngsters from Stockton - the birthplace of Lee Bullock.

Fulford School pupil Joe Foote is the local lad and he has been on City's books since the age of nine. He is described as a competitive, energetic player.

Defenders Leeon Poole and Darren Hollingsworth are the Stockton duo while left-sided midfielder Steven Collins is from Harrogate and joined the Minstermen two years ago after leaving Bradford City.

Guisborough-born goalkeeper Scott Allison completes the quintet having developed well during four years attending City's School of Excellence.

THERE are still limited places available for the end-of-season Sports Dinner, featuring award-winning guest speaker Steve Kindon and one of English football's first million pound players Steve Daley on Monday, May 17.

Anybody interested in attending the event at York Racecourse should call Graham Bradbury on 07790 470589 or 01904 430036.

Tickets cost £35 and the evening's entertainment starts at 7.30pm.

Updated: 08:43 Saturday, May 08, 2004