York City fans shooting for the top have been buoyed in their capital mission by more than 5,000 pledges of support.

A mini-army of City fans are poised to march through London tomorrow prior to City's clash at Luton and take their concerns about the club's plight direct to the game's top brass.

The supporters plan to present a petition to the Football Association at their headquarters in Soho which calls on the FA to investigate the proposed sale of the club.

It has emerged the petition has now been signed by well over 5,000 fans. That figure could rise to almost 6,000 by the time of tomorrow's march.

Nearly all of the 92 professional clubs in the country are represented on the petition while fans in New Zealand, the Middle East and the Virgin Islands have also signed-up via the Internet.

John Catton, a leading light in the London and the South Branch of the City Supporters' Club, said: "The support we've received has been outstanding.

"We received a batch of over 200 names from Brighton fans, whose club have obviously been left in a similar mess by their owners before, as well as from places across the UK and beyond."

The petition calls for an investigation into the way the club's current owners were able to side-step an FA rule which was designed to prevent shareholders making profits on their original investment should a club be wound-up.

The petition also calls on the FA to break its silence on the controversy.

The Evening Press e-mailed chief executive Adam Crozier last month asking for his views on the situation but is still awaiting a reply. The Press is also awaiting a reply for a phone call made to FA HQ yesterday.

Colin Matthews, a fan based in London and one of the organisers of tomorrow's protest, said: "This matter is not just about York City.

"It is about the threat to other clubs up and down the country whose owners may decide to undertake similar actions to those proposed by the board."

York MP Hugh Bayley has voiced his concern about the circumvention of the rules and the lack of response from the governing body and guardians of the English game.

Bayley has requested a meeting with Crozier to discuss the issues surrounding York City and their general governance of the game.

Fans wanting to join the march should gather at Hanover Square Gardens, close to Oxford Circus tube station, before 10.30am.

The fans will then make their way to FA headquarters at Soho Square to hand in the petition at around 11am.

In a show of unity, a presentation will also be made by members of Fulham Supporters' Club to a York City Supporters' Trust representative of £2,000, raised through bucket collections by Fulham fans in support of the campaign.

Updated: 09:12 Friday, February 22, 2002