New's beat

Manager Chris Brass sealed the deal for the Huddersfield Town front-man shortly before yesterday's transfer deadline, declaring: "It went through at about four minutes to five so we were waiting until the very last minute but I'm really happy it has worked out.

"Basically it all hinged on whether Iffy Onuora (Tranmere) went back to Huddersfield or not, but he did, and that opened up the door for Jon to come to us.

"He's real pedigree. He used to be at Liverpool and then he went to Bury where he did extremely well.

"He's somebody who attracted a lot of interest in the summer and he went to Huddersfield but it hasn't worked out quite how he would have liked.

"But he certainly knows where the goals are and we're hoping he can do that for us."

The 25-year-old forward made just one first-team appearance for Liverpool when he came on for Michael Owen against Middlesbrough in the Premiership on January 2, 2000, and signed for Bury for £100,000 at the end of that season.

Newby found his form at Bury, scoring 21 goals in 109 appearances over three years before joining Huddersfield in the close season.

But he found soon-to-be Premiership star Jon Stead, who moved to Blackburn Rovers in a £1million-plus move in January, blocking his way to the first team.

Newby yesterday signed for York on loan initially for a month with a view to extending it to the end of the season with the chance to become a Minsterman on a permanent basis also a possibility.

Brass added: "It's been very difficult in order to make sure we got the right people to fit in with our structure and the pleasing thing is that Jon wanted to come to us. I've known him going right back to his Liverpool days and he knows me and the club.

"He's got a good track record at this level and he is a really positive signing."

Brass had tried to bring in up to four other new faces, including another striker and a centre-half before the deadline passed but was thwarted by two injuries, one finance issue and a Division One club.

"It's a difficult time of year to be doing deals with clubs fighting for promotion places or to avoid relegation," said Brass.

"One of the ones I was looking at has gone to a higher club but that just goes to show the calibre of player we have been trying to get.

"I've said it before that the lads we have got here are good enough but having Jon will certainly give us a little bit extra.

"I don't want to bring people in for the sake of it. I only go for ones I think can add something to the squad and will fit into the way we do things. Jon fits into that category."

Meanwhile, Sunderland midfielder Jonjo Dickman, who is still being treated for an ankle injury sustained in his second appearance for City, has had his loan deal extended until the end of the season, thanks in part to a special arrangement between the two clubs.

Communications director Sophie McGill said: "The York City board of directors would like to thank Sunderland chairman Bob Murray and all at the club for their kind co-operation in extending the loan period for Jonjo Dickman.

"York City and Sunderland have had a special relationship for many years and we are always extremely grateful to them for their help and support. Sunderland AFC is a very professional, well-run club with tremendous fans who supported us during the dark days of the 'Save City' campaign.

"We hope our special links with the club extend long into the future."

Two ex-Minstermen were among those on the move in a deadline day, where little money changed hands between clubs.

Aron Wilford linked up with City's Third Division rivals Lincoln City, as revealed in later editions of yesterday's Evening Press, while Dean Crowe, who had a brief loan spell at Bootham Crescent, joined Oldham.

Squads:

Probable: Porter, Wise, Smith, Hope, Wood, Cooper, Dunning, Merris, Bell, Nogan, Offiong.

Subs from: Ovendale, Davies, Donovan, Newby, Ward, Yalcin.

From: Miller, Parker, Anderson, Barrett, Austin, Tuigg, Gibb, Lescott, Henriksen, Danny Williams, Thorpe, Arndale, Edwards, Savage, Quinn, Hodges, Ryan Williams, Hyde.

Match points:

City v Bristol Rovers

- City have made 18 previous League visits to Bristol Rovers (three different venues - Eastville, Twerton Park and the Memorial Ground) and have recorded five wins and five draws.

- Their victories were: 1972/73 2-1; 1974/75 3-1; 1993/94 1-0; 1997/98 2-1 and in the corresponding game last season when Darren Edmondson hit a spectacular 30-yard winner. City's line-up on March 18, 2003 was: Ingham, Edmondson, Smith, Brass (Hobson), Jones, Cowan, Cooper, Wood, Potter, Shandran, Parkin (Nogan).

- Players to have represented both clubs include 1930s stars Maurice Dando, Ted Hathway and Jack Eyres, while more recently Peter Aitken and Scott Jones have played for each club, while John Ward managed both the Minstermen and the Pirates in the 1990s.

Statistics by David Batters

Updated: 11:05 Friday, March 26, 2004