More Trust needed

With elections to the Supporters' Trust board imminent, fans wanting to stand for election, vote or attend the organisation's annual general meeting must be members of the fans' body by September 30.

The City Trust, with some 1,900 members, is one of the best supported in the country.

However, and taking into account City's average Bootham Crescent gate, there are still something like 1,500 die-hard Minstermen supporters who have still to join the trust.

It puzzles me why so many City fans, who have stuck by the club through thin and thin in recent seasons, would chose not to pay their £10 and back the Trust.

Of course, the price might be a factor. Watching City week in and week out is certainly not cheap and some fans may feel they already contribute enough via the turnstiles.

But it is the trust, after all, which owns the football club, and it is the supporters who own the trust.

Fans may not agree with every action or stance the supporters' body takes, but by becoming a member he or she at least can have their say through the ballot box.

If they are not members, then they cannot really complain about the way the trust runs the club.

The fact remains, without the trust there would be no York City Football Club.

It follows therefore that every supporter has benefited from the work of the organisation.

It's pay-back time for those that have still to join the trust, and to get real value for money and ensure their voice is heard they need to do it now.

As reported in the Evening Press, City director Sophie McGill, Paul Rawnsley, Peter Rookes and Ian Hey will be up for re-election to trust board.

Within the next few weeks, the trust will be inviting nominations for the election, which will take place by postal ballot during the weeks preceding the AGM.

The results will be announ-ced at the AGM, to be held in the Grand Opera House on December 17.

Trust application forms can be obtained from the club shop at Bootham Crescent or via the trust website www.ycst.org.uk

THE Harrogate Minster-men, the highly active City Supporters' Club branch, have adopted a 'charity of the year'.

The HM have teamed up with their chief sponsor, the Knaresborough Working Men's Club, to raise funds for Harrogate District Hospital.

In particular, they are to raise money for the Harrogate Hospital Friends, a voluntary group who are trying to generate enough cash to buy an MRI scanner.

The HHF are hoping to contribute £150,000 towards the £1.6m needed for the scanner and so far the Harrogate Minstermen have already donated £1,000 with more fundraising events in the pipeline.

LAST Saturday's LDV Vans Trophy draw sent shivers down the spine.

City were pitched away to Halifax Town, not a bad midweek trip to make and an interesting derby tie at least.

But the last time City played the Shaymen in the same competition the game not only ended in defeat but arguably kick-started a downward spiral that lasted for a number of years.

City, then bossed by Alan Little, were healthily placed in ninth position in Division Two and seemingly poised for a play-off push when they travelled to the Shay in January 1999.

The Minstermen lost the game 4-2, but even more alarmingly drew just two and lost nine of their next 11 games.

Little was dismissed and Neil Thompson took over, but it was too late to stop City sliding into the basement.

The defeat to Halifax was to heavily influence Thompson's subsequent rebuilding campaign at Bootham Crescent.

Mark Sertori, Marc Williams and Kevin Hulme were all recruited from Halifax as Thompson, back at Bootham Crescent on Tuesday watching City tackle Darlington, believed a more 'gritty' edge was needed in Division Three.

It didn't work and it took Thompson's replacement, Terry Dolan, a number of seasons to reshape the City squad.

Fingers crossed October's clash does not whip up a similar whirlwind.

YEOVIL Town boss Gary Johnson gave himself a pat on the back after his tactical changes helped the Glovers to last Saturday's 3-0 win over City.

"I did say to the players that I'd watched York a couple of times and I really felt that we could get goals from crosses and we did," the Glovers boss said. "When things come off it's very good and means the players will listen to you next time."

HERE'S a useless fact for the anoraks.

Last Saturday's clash between City and Yeovil marked the first time in Football League history when two teams beginning with the letter Y went head to head.

I suppose it will be more of a tale when Zeal Monachorum, from Devon, and Zennor, from Cornwall, apply for League status and go head to head. Don't hold your breath.

THE recently announced York City Business Network (YCBN) has already yielded its first 'partnership'.

Beaver Employment has won the contract to supply temporary staff to York-based marketing agency, WPS Media.

Pete Brandon, WPS director, the brains behind the YCBN, explained he made contact with representatives from Beaver Employment at a sponsors evening at Bootham Crescent.

YCBN is a networking organisation with a difference, with each participating company receiving discounts on products or services they purchase from other businesses in the group.

City gain from the arrangement with a percentage of each sale going to the club.

Further details about YCBN can be obtained from City's commercial director, Peter Salter.

YORK City director Jason McGill used planes, trains and automobiles to make sure he watched the Minstermen's first ever game at Huish Park last Saturday.

After a business meeting in London on Friday afternoon, Jason dashed back to York in time for an evening function that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

Jason managed to bag just 40 winks before driving up to Newcastle to catch a plane to Bristol, and then hiring a car to get to Yeovil.

For Jason and the few hundred die-hards, the long trip south proved fruitless and very frustrating.

To make matters worse, Jason, who travelled with his dad, Rob, saw his return plane back to Newcastle on Saturday night delayed by more than an hour.

Updated: 09:55 Saturday, September 20, 2003