YORK City today called an emergency meeting of its board of directors and the Supporters' Trust to discuss fears there may be no future for the club.

The dramatic announcement follows a warning from City of York Council leader Steve Galloway that the club's planned move to Huntington Stadium was in danger of falling hopelessly behind schedule.

Coun Galloway said the move could still take place, but only if the football club was willing to retain the running track at Huntington Stadium and back the council's own phased development plans for redeveloping the site.

Those would involve retaining the running track and building temporary stands to bring the ground up to Football League standards, all funded by City.

The Evening Press can reveal that under the council's blueprint, the track would eventually be relocated and permanent stands built to realise a capacity of more than 12,000. However, no timescale is given for the planned relocation.

The football club said today it was "stunned" by Coun Galloway's claims that the authority's phased development approach was a "workable option".

It described the proposal as "expensive, ludicrous and illogical" and warned the club would, initially at least, have to survive at Huntington without key income generators such as a club shop, ticket office, social club or food outlets

The club said the building of temporary stands, which at a later date would be demolished, would virtually wipe out City's own £3 million redevelopment budget, making it impossible to build new, permanent stands at a later date.

Club director Sophie McGill warned the council's plan could "lead to the demise of North Yorkshire's only Football League club".

City, who must quit their current home of Bootham Crescent by May 2004, are currently investigating the possibility of moving the track and other athletic facilities to York University.

Club director Ian McAndrew, who is meeting with university officials later this week, said developing the campus site would take only 16 weeks and would cost "significantly" less than the council says it would.

Coun Galloway, speaking at last night's meeting of the full council, warned that a number of issues still had to be addressed before the club's move to Huntington could be finalised. He said the need for planning permission and consultation with residents at traders at Monks Cross could delay the process for months.

"The club must be candid with its supporters. They should ensure full disclosure of their plan and funding options," he said.

"There comes a point where what is possible becomes not only the preferred way forward but the only way forward.

"Perhaps the immediate laudable ambitions of the club to provide the final solution in one step will have to be replaced by a more gradual approach."

Defending the council's handling of the situation, Coun Galloway again ruled out the possibility that the council could take out a compulsory purchase order on Bootham Crescent.

Updated: 11:03 Wednesday, July 09, 2003