THE coffers of the York City Supporters' Trust have been boosted by almost £400 thanks to the efforts of two teenage supporters.

Neil Hunter, 13, and Clare Leetham, 15, both pupils at Howden School, raised more than £390 for the Trust through a sponsored walk.

The idea for the fund-raiser came from Clare who, although a Tottenham Hotspur fan, has been attending City matches since the club was thrown into turmoil.

Clare and Neil, a season-ticket holder since the age of six, walked from Howden to Goole and then back again after gaining sponsorship pledges.

Trust committee member Mike Brown, who received the cash on behalf of the Trust, said: "I received an e-mail out of the blue from Neil's father, David.

"I was delighted to hear that two youngsters have shown such initiative, managing to raise such a sizeable sum of money.

"This just goes to show how the community can work together to achieve a common goal. A huge thanks goes out to Neil and Clare for their efforts."

The Trust is also set for another cash injection following another sponsored walk organised by fans earlier this month.

It is estimated the ten supporters who walked from the White Horse at Kilburn to York prior to last Saturday's game at home to Hartlepool have raised around £3,500.

The money will be presented to the Trust at an upcoming home game.

THE York City Supporters' Trust recruitment drive is reining-in cats and dogs.

The Evening Press story of Bruno the Labrador signing up to the Trust clearly got the fur flying in the animal kingdom. Not to be out down by a dog, Molly the moggy has paid her £10 and signed up to the fans' body.

And following on from the news last week that a Turkish footballing fan had joined the Trust, Molly also packs impressive international credentials.

The furry feline hails from America - West Roxbury, Maine, to be precise.

Her owners, Annie Smith and Nicky Brighid, spotted Bruno's commitment to the Minstermen cause on the Internet and decided to lend their and Molly's support to the Save City campaign.

LAST Saturday's man in the middle, Scott Mathieson, is poised for brush with the big time tomorrow.

Having taken charge of City's 1-0 win over Hartlepool at Bootham Crescent last Saturday, the Stockport-based referee will be the fourth official for tomorrow's Worthington Cup final between Spurs and Blackburn Rovers.

THE Yorkie Bars were unable to match the winning endeavours of their City heroes when they took on their Hartlepool counterparts prior to last Saturday's game at Bootham Crescent.

Despite a brace from Michael Stockdale and a goal from James Copley, the Bars, made up of City fans brought together by the Internet, were beaten 7-3.

The week before, the Bars secured a 4-4 draw with the Lincoln Netbusters, fighting back from a two goal deficit to snatch an equaliser in stoppage time.

THE City Travel Club have announced reduced prices for the trip to Plymouth Argyle.

With upcoming visits to Cheltenham and Exeter to add to this week's long hauls to Leyton Orient and Luton, the cost of travelling to Home Park has been slashed in an effort to ease the strain on supporters' wallets.

The bus for the match, scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, will leave Bootham Crescent at 12.30pm.

The reduced price will be £20 for Travel Club members and £22 for non-members - around £6 to £8 cheaper than normal.

For further details, telephone the club shop on 01904 624447 extension 4.

Fettis catches Proctor

THE race for the Evening Press player of the year award is hotting up.

As the season enters the run-in, Alan Fettis has moved level with Michael Proctor at the top of the pile after earning one point for his display against Hartlepool last Saturday.

Mike Basham's improved run of form has been confirmed by the fact the central defender, courtesy of his man of the match display against Leyton Orient, has now moved into the top five.

Last year's runner-up, Matt Hocking, is not that far behind Basham after earning two points at Brisbane Road where Jon Parkin earned a point to go with his two awarded against Hartlepool.

The man of the match display against United went to striker Peter Duffield.

Latest standings: Proctor 39pts, Fettis 39, Nogan 30, Bullock 26, Basham 17, Edmondson 16, Brass 16, Fielding 12, Hocking 12, Smith 7, Cooper 6, Duffield 6, Hobson 4, Potter 4, Richardson 4, Howarth 3, Parkin 3, Fox 1.

Painful penalty reminder

GRAHAM Potter's penalty miss against Rochdale last month refuses to be forgotten.

The stop to deny Potter's spot-kick and City three points - the match finished 0-0 - earned Dale keeper Matthew Gilks the 'Save of the Month' from League sponsors Nationwide.

Certainly, it was a fine parry from Gilks.

But surely his second-half Gordon Banks-esque save to deny Peter Duffield's point-blank header was even better?

And even then, hasn't City's number one, Alan Fettis, produced even better saves than that all season without national recognition?

Updated: 11:27 Saturday, February 23, 2002