NOW, more than ever, your football club and your Trust needs you.

The nerve-jangling events of this week have once again seen the fans' body, on behalf of their fellow supporters, playing a leading role in the fight to save the club from extinction.

It did not matter how many bids the administrators received from interested buyers on Thursday, without the Trust dipping into its funds to see the club through the next few weeks York City would simply no longer exist.

No ifs, buts or maybes. Without the Trust -- the sole organisation that can truly claim to have only the club's best interests at heart -- City would be no more.

It is hard to believe the organisation is still less than a year old but it has already proved to be one of the best supported in the country in

its inaugural year, with around 1,500 members.

Now the time has come for those members to renew their support to help maintain a future for professional football in York.

The first membership year expires at January 31, 2003.

Membership for 2003/04 will actually run until June 2004 and remains at only £10 (£5 for under-16s via the Junior Reds). Existing members are also being asked to consider upgrading to Life status for £90.

Of course, the Trust would also like to welcome as many new members as possible --for annual or life membership --to join the body that is fighting for the future survival of the club.

Letters will be posted to members next week, but a membership form is also available on this page, on the Trust's own website -- www.ycst.org.uk -- with forms also handed out at upcoming matches.

At short notice, the Trust has also arranged to hold a membership recruitment evening at the Bootham Crescent Social Club from 7pm on Wednesday, January 22.

Everyone is welcome to attend at any point in the evening. The bar will be open, the Trust will be on hand to sign up new or existing members and it is hoped that some of City's players will be there to help out.

On the subject of Trust memberships, judging by the average Bootham Crescent attendances of recent seasons, it can be estimated that the club have between 2,500 and 3,000 fans who will follow the Minstermen even during the leanest of times.

Their dedication and commitment cannot be faulted.

But if the Trust has around 1,500 members, it suggests around 1,000 dyed-in-the-wool Minstermen followers decided against becoming members of the Trust during the past 12 months.

No doubt, those fans who've not taken up membership with the Trust have their reasons --expense being probably a major factor.

There are certainly cheaper ways of spending Saturday afternoons and some fans may feel they already support the club enough by paying at the turnstiles.

Apathy and the misguided belief that 'everything will work out in the end, it always does, so why bother?' might be another factor.

But the decisive role the Trust has played this week cannot be underestimated. If fans were dubious about the Trust's intentions, purpose or importance then surely those doubts have now been swept away.

Given that the organisation has now pledged the majority of its funds to the club, the Trust may need significant financial resources over the next few weeks.

A strong Trust will also mean a strong case for fan appointments to the board should new owners take-over. If fan representation becomes a reality, every supporter should reap the benefit whether they are Trust members or not.

At £10 Trust membership is certainly value for money.

Updated: 12:04 Saturday, January 18, 2003