United front

The Shakers' clash is one of four vital Bootham Crescent fixtures in the next five games that will determine whether the Minstermen extend their 75-year long participation in the Football League.

City's plight grew worse over the weekend as bottom club Carlisle United beat Kidderminster Harriers 1-0, while Macclesfield moved three points ahead of City by beating Leyton Orient 1-0 - the goal coming from substitute Martin Carruthers, a former City player.

Darlington eased their relegation worries with a 1-0 home win over Mansfield, while fellow strugglers Scunthorpe and Rochdale drew 2-2 at Glanford Park.

If Carlisle win at Orient this afternoon, then City would face Bury as the League's bottom club.

Despite City's dramatic slide, McGill believes City can escape the drop.

She has asked supporters to understand the circumstances that management team Chris Brass and Lee Nogan have had to work under this season.

Both have come under fire in recent games as City's winless run stretched to 14 with Good Friday's 2-0 defeat at Cambridge.

She said: "Every game seems to be 'big' these days, and it is important we show the team the support they need to get those vital last few points. Our recent run of games has been frustrating for us all and has brought us anxiety and disappointment.

"But let's put our situation into perspective. At the start of the season the mission statement for the club on and off the pitch was survival.

"We were not under any illusions and everyone was aware this season would be very tough. It was our amazing start with four straight wins and then our play-offs hopes up until February which raised everyone's expectations, and gave us all that sweet smell of success.

"It is easy for us all as fans to criticise Chris and Lee and blame them for our recent bad run, but let's just think about the difficult circumstances they have had to work under and specifically the financial restrictions which have been imposed on their player budget. Our management team have been working with a budget one third of last season's and probably one fifth of the season before.

"Despite this, they have succeeded in attracting talented players and I believe it is not a lack of ability, but a lack of confidence which has put us in our current predicament. Criticism and negative comments at this stage are only counter-productive.

"It is positive attitudes and belief in the team which will lift the players and get the results we all want so badly."

Despite recent home results - City have collected one point from a possible 18 at Bootham Crescent - McGill believes that strong support from all areas of the ground can still prove vital in the run-in, saying: "Look at the Harrogate Minstermen in the Popular Stand during the Macclesfield game. Even when we were 2-0 down they did not lose faith and continued to encourage the team until the very end."

There was also unstinting support from the 333 fans who made the long trip to Cambridge's Abbey Stadium on Good Friday night.

"We have all been through so much over the past two years. The football world wrote us off as another lower league casualty, but we did not give up.

"We have achieved the impossible rescuing this club from the brink of extinction and we have achieved the impossible securing Bootham Crescent as our long term home. We now face another hurdle we must overcome, the fight to stay in the Football League.

"We are a supporter owned football club, which means we are in this fight together. Remember, yet again the vultures are circling and waiting for us to fail and lie down and die. Let's be positive, prove them all wrong and let's fight to the end to make sure we succeed."

Updated: 10:16 Monday, April 12, 2004