FORGET demonstrations and anger and dig deep - that was the message to York City fans from club mainstay Frank Cawood.

Now in an astonishing 73rd year of supporting the Minstermen, the former Supporters' Club secretary and treasurer for more than 20 years said he was deeply saddened by the current plight of his beloved club.

He added that City had been in dire straits several times before and had always managed to scrape their way clear.

The 83-year-old ardent fan was hopeful the oblivion-threatened club could yet survive the latest crisis, though he was not as certain of the future of Bootham Crescent, City's home.

Back as a youngster he had transfer materials from City's original Fulfordgate base to help to build Bootham Crescent nearly 70 years ago.

Cawood, who saw his first City game when he was 11-years-old, was unequivocal in where the fault lie with City's present predicament.

While admitting to be 'deeply disappointed' at the actions of Bootham Crescent Holdings in putting the ground up for sale - new owners have to vacate the ground by June 30 - Cawood declined to openly criticise the club's rulers.

Instead, Cawood, who was one of the driving forces behind several cash appeals to save the club in previous 'darkest hours', laid the blame for City's 2002 crisis at the feet of supporters and the FA Premier League.

"The demonstration they held (prior to the Torquay game) cost the club more in policing - that's not helping the club," said Cawood.

"I can understand that the fans are angry, but it's a great pity that more fans have not shown a bigger interest in the club over the last few years.

"For the past five or six years the club has been going down and down because there has not been as many supporters going through the turnstiles."

That had significantly drained the club's cash resources, said Cawood.

He added that the growing reluctance of clubs from the Premiership to invest in talent from smaller outfits like City had further reduced potential revenue.

"That was the reason for the club buying its own training ground, to bring more talent through.

"But because the big clubs have stopped buying youngsters from smaller clubs then, I think, that the training-ground is going to turn into a 'white elephant'."

His solution was for the club's fans to organise a huge raft of fund-raising schemes to bring in much-needed cash.

Cawood recalled how the football club came 'cap in hand' to the Supporters' Club in 1954, the year before the run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

"They said they would have to wrap in. So we formed a committee and over the next ten years we raised £100,000 for the club. That was a great deal of money in those days.

"Our motto then was 'to help and not to hinder'."

Updated: 12:21 Friday, January 18, 2002