THE hopes and dreams of hundreds of youngsters will be shattered if York City Football Club folds within the next 72 hours.

That's the verdict of the club's head of youth development, Paul Stancliffe, the veteran defensive sentinel who led the Minstermen to promotion via Wembley in 1993.

"Everyone at the club is in the same position," explained Stancliffe.

"We are all very concerned and it is the club that matters above all else.

"The first team are obviously the bread and butter of the club but from the youth team and set-up perspective, all the way down to the club's Under-11s, there are boys with dreams of playing for York City.

"We have our fingers crossed - in fact everything is crossed - that the club can be saved."

The plight of the players, coaching and office staff at Bootham Crescent have all been highlighted in recent weeks as the deadline to oblivion draws ever nearer.

But should the club go to the wall then the club's U19s, who are all in the middle of three-year scholarships at Bootham Crescent, would also be out of work.

Among the intermediates whose fledgling careers are threatened are the likes of Stuart Wise, Graeme Law and Levent Yalcin, who have all tasted experience of the first team to varying degrees.

Law and Yalcin have also been capped at international youth level by Scotland and Turkey respectively, and are two of the club's biggest hopes for the future - if it survives.

Middlesbrough's Jonathan Greening, Birmingham's Curtis Woodhouse, Sunderland's Darren Williams, Preston North End's Richard Cresswell and Reading's Graeme Murty have all rolled off the City production line in recent years.

And youngsters Lee Grant and Cameron Stuart also started at City before electing to undertake their scholarships with Aston Villa, while England schoolboy captain Chris Hogg came up through the junior ranks at Bootham Crescent before joining Ipswich Town.

Despite their uncertain future, Stancliffe said the current crop of trainees were taking their lead from the senior squad and were at least putting on brave faces.

"Whether they talk about it in the dressing-rooms when we are not there I don't know, but they are not really saying a great deal about the situation," said Stancliffe, whose own job is also under threat as is that of his assistant, Brian Neaves.

"In training they've been fine and nobody has been messing around or taken a negative attitude. They've been great."

Many of the youth team players were involved in yesterday's reserve team encounter at home to Lincoln City with Saturday's Youth Alliance game at Scunthorpe United possibly the last game for the Minstermen youngsters.

"It is obviously a big concern but we are all keeping positive and we are not thinking negatively," said Stancliffe.

"All the lads want to do is play football. That is all they have ever wanted to do since coming here from school.

"Hopefully, they will be able to continue to do that."

dave.stanford@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 12:17 Thursday, January 16, 2003