FORMER York City chairman Douglas Craig is refusing to go quietly after directing an icy blast towards the recently formed Supporters' Trust.

Craig contacted the Evening Press to condemn a letter sent out by the Trust which urges supporters to sign up to the fans' body. Mr Craig said the letter contains two "lies".

Paul Rawnsley, vice-chair of the Trust, admitted the letter did contain mistakes.

However, he insisted there had been no intention to deliberately mislead supporters and said steps will be taken by the Trust to remedy the error.

Craig said claims in the letter that the Supporters' Trust "now owns over 25 per cent of the club" and that it "will be appointing two temporary directors to the board of the club in the next few weeks" were untrue.

Craig, who remains on the board of the football club during a "transitional period" following John Batchelor's buy-out, said: "I am stating categorically as a director of the club that the Supporters' Trust does not own 25 per cent of the club. They do not own any part of the club.

"Nor will they be appointing two directors. They do not have the authority to appoint any directors."

Under the Trust's agreement with new chairman Batchelor, the Trust WILL gain a 25.1 per cent stake in the club and two representatives WILL be appointed on to the board.

Craig countered a suggestion that his complaint centred around nothing more than a poor choice of wording.

He also said the fact his departure from the boardroom was in any case imminent was "of no consequence" to his complaint.

Rawnsley said the letter had been sent out by a "well-intentioned but perhaps over-enthusiastic individual" who had not followed the Trust's rules and guidelines for publishing statements and correspondence.

"Mountains out of molehills spring to mind," he said.

"The letter has gone out to 91 people. We will be writing another letter to those 91 people which will effectively correct the first letter while still asking them to become members of the Trust."

Meanwhile, City's new chairman Batchelor has welcomed the Football League's decision to throw out proposals from ITV Digital and parent companies Carlton and Granada to renegotiate the £315million TV deal signed last year.

Lincoln City chairman Rob Bradley today claimed ITV Digital should "get their fingers out" and end the television cash crisis that is threatening to put many Nationwide clubs out of business.

Granada and Carlton say the financially-stricken ITV Digital station faces closure unless clubs accept less money.

They have offered £25million a year for the remaining two years of the deal, instead of the previously agreed £89.25million per year.

Under the current agreement, City and fellow Third Division clubs rake in around £150,000 per year. If the re-negotiations were successful that figure would be slashed by almost a third.

Batchelor said: "If we have to, we should pursue the matter in the courts. They made an agreement and that is that."

The Football League's chief executive David Burns is adamant the contract should be honoured as yesterday's board meeting of the League rejected any new offer.

Bradley, who is due at Bootham Crescent on Tuesday when City take on the Imps, supported the new City chief and the League's tough stance.

He said: "We are very reliant on this money - it is money that has been budgeted for.

"It is too early to talk of taking a smaller amount from ITV Digital. We are talking about one of the biggest media players. They ought to sort it out."

League chairman Keith Harris warned: "Nobody should be in any doubt that if this contract is not honoured there will be widespread bankruptcies in many local communities and our national game will be left devastated.

"In such circumstances Carlton, Granada and ITV Digital will bear a heavy financial and social responsibility."

Updated: 11:23 Friday, March 22, 2002