PLAYER-manager Chris Brass believes York City's fans should receive an award for their role in saving the football club.

Figures released this week confirmed that the Supporters' Trust raised £500,000 in the 18-month period between its inception in January 2002 and the month ending June 2003.

And Brass has moved quickly to salute the supporters' commitment, arguing that their dedication could not be matched at any other club in the country.

He said: "It's the only reason we are still here talking about York City. It affects all of us because it saved our jobs in essence, which is of tremendous credit to the supporters.

"They realise they have to continue that level of commitment in order to sustain the club but I do not think a lot of Premiership clubs would have been able to raise that sort of money. It was against all the odds really and it's a hell of an achievement.

"You hear of special awards at this time of the year about unsung heroes and I think, from the outside looking in even though I might be a bit biased, that they should get some sort of recognition. I think we have got 3,000 die-hard supporters and 2,200 of them are in the Trust.

"That ratio is phenomenal and you would not get that at any other football club in the country."

Brass has also hinted that he is ready to hand trialist striker Gary Browne a longer stay at Bootham Crescent.

Browne has been playing for Whitby Town and helped the Unibond League outfit reach the first round of the FA Cup with a final qualifying round victory over Bromsgrove on Wednesday night.

That victory, watched by Brass, set up a tasty derby clash at Second Division Hartlepool and City's boss intends to let Browne play in that match next weekend before discussing a possible deal with the Minstermen.

Brass said: "We are close to doing something with Gary because he's done well since he's gone to Whitby and he's impressed us in training. We want to be fair and let him play against Hartlepool and then we will sit down and see where we are at."

But Brass could still look to recruit another striker on loan after Dean Crowe's return to Luton and the four-match suspension accrued by Jon Parkin this week.

The City chief said: "We would like a goalscorer and it's a gap we have to fill because we are losing Jon Parkin until December."

Parkin's last match before his ban is at Cheltenham on Saturday when Brass is hoping that City will face a side lacking in confidence following four defeats in five matches rather than one buoyed by the possibility of a new manager watching in the stands.

Caretaker boss Bob Bloomer is expected to take charge after Bobby Gould's resignation but the club are today considering applicants for the vacant position.

Brass said: "They will want to impress because a new manager could be in waiting. I think they are also in a false position.

"I thought they would be up there, having just come down from the Second Division but we have got to prolong their bad run of form. It was satisfying to get a clean sheet at Scunthorpe because that's what you're always looking at away from home.

"Now we have to get things right at the other end. The pleasing thing is we are creating chances.

"I think we had the best opportunities against Scunthorpe, Boston and Oxford and it's only a matter of time before we start converting more."

Updated: 10:55 Friday, October 31, 2003