SUPPORTERS' Trust chairman Richard Snowball is urging York City fans to help achieve a double whammy.

As the Minstermen prepared to welcome Rochdale to Bootham Crescent for a crucial promotion clash, the Trust and City are closing in on two notable achievements.

For City's 20 home games already played this season, Bootham Crescent has welcomed some 83,168 supporters through the turnstiles at an average of 4,158.

It leaves the Minstermen less than 17,000 fans short of breaking through the 100,000 barrier with three games, including today's clash with the Dale, left to play.

Snowball is appealing for supporters to turn out in force for City's remaining home games - against Kidderminster on Easter Monday and Exeter on April 26 - to smash through the landmark and spur the team on to promotion.

"It will be a tall order to reach the 100,000 attendance landmark but we've already achieved so much it would be a nice target to reach," said Snowball.

"Gates are already well up on last season and the supporters have been fantastic in helping save the club but now we need to cheer Terry Dolan's team on to promotion.

"Automatic promotion is still on the cards and the more help the team has from the terraces the better.

"Of course, bigger crowds means more money for the club. That means a stronger club which is, of course, now run by the fans for the fans."

But as well as chasing attendances, Snowball revealed the Supporters' Trust is also closing in on a significant membership milestone of 2,000 recruits to the fans' body.

That target, once achieved, would mark a significant increase in Trust members from last season when the figure stood at around 1,500.

"In an ideal world, every single York City supporter would be a member of the Trust," reasoned Snowball.

"We had around 4,000 City fans at the last home game against Southend so even if we do reach the 2,000 figure there are still 50 per cent of supporters who are not members.

"The football club is Trust-owned and all supporters should be owners of the Trust. All supporters will reap the benefits, so it would be great if everyone joined the Trust."

Reflecting on the dramatic last few months, Snowball said: "More than once during recent times the club was within hours of going into liquidation, but we kept our belief that the goal of saving the club could be achieved. It was a roller-coaster ride.

"It is now a club owned by the supporters. It is now up to all of us to be positive about the future to help ensure that York City Football Club never finds itself in the same position again."

Updated: 10:37 Saturday, April 12, 2003