SUPPORTERS' pressure group the Friends of Bootham Crescent (FoBC) have vowed to "redouble" their efforts to keep York City at their current home.

The football club this week submitted its blueprint to redevelop Huntington Stadium but the Friends insist the fight to keep City at Bootham Crescent is not over.

FoBC also indicated it could step up its protest campaign against Persimmon Homes, the company that has a conditional agreement to buy Bootham Crescent and has submitted a planning application to build 93 homes on the site.

FoBC held demonstrations at the company's sites earlier this year and have indicated those protests could be extended nationally.

Spokesman Ian Savage said: "We know the board of York City have worked wonders in keeping the club afloat, and we also acknowledge that the re-development of Huntington Stadium is something that they have had no option but be forced to accept.

"However, this does not mean that FoBC is prepared to give up a fight we believe can still be won, which is to return the ownership of the Bootham Crescent ground to York City.

"The whole re-location scheme is dependent upon planning applications being passed for both sites, and we strongly believe that there are extremely good reasons in planning law for the Bootham Crescent application to be thrown out.

Updated: 11:04 Thursday, November 27, 2003