York City's players and fans were in the spotlight on Saturday, and they did themselves proud.

For the national press, this was a fixture that had it all. A club facing imminent extinction, one place above the bottom of the league, taking on the glamour boys from the Premiership. A City squad that cost £50,000 playing Fulham's £42 million foreign legion.

The media descended on Bootham Crescent sniffing one of the great FA Cup upsets. And they nearly got it.

Cheered on by a hugely passionate crowd, the City players gave their all. But for a couple of unlucky breaks and some acrobatics by the Fulham goalkeeper, the Minstermen might still have been in the competition. They deserve to be.

Instead, they have crashed back to earth. Tomorrow, they take on Hull City in the increasingly desperate quest for league points.

York City's players and backroom staff are professionals who will lift themselves for the task ahead. It cannot be easy, however, to adhere to that old football adage "take each game as it comes" when your livelihood could disappear within weeks.

The club needs its friends more than ever now the excitement of the cup escapade is over. A good turn out for the Hull match and for the "Fans United" game on Saturday will boost morale.

Another key date is Friday, when the Supporters' Trust is officially launched. Already this fan-based body has shown terrific determination and imagination, devising all manner of ingenious ideas to market the club.

The commitment of the trust, along with City's fantastic cup support, will help to convince any potential buyer that this is a club worth saving.

One such interested party is racing team owner John Batchelor. He was at Bootham Crescent for the Fulham clash, and must have been impressed, both by what he saw on the pitch and heard from the terraces. So it may turn out that York City did score a victory on Saturday after all.

Updated: 10:33 Monday, January 28, 2002