DESPITE suffering an early and cruel end to his first season in York City colours, striker Peter Duffield is grateful for small mercies.

Duffield admitted the horrendous injury suffered by Aston Villa's Belgian international striker Luc Nilis last Saturday would be spurring him along the comeback trail from his broken leg.

Like Duffield, Nilis also broke his tibia and fibula in an accidental clash with Ipswich 'keeper Richard Wright that left his leg flailing at a near right angle.

"At least my injury wasn't as bad as that and they reckon he will play again so that has also helped me to stay positive," said Duffield.

"If he can come back from that then there is no reason why I can't do the same."

Duffield was full of praise for the staff at York District Hospital and the management and backroom staff at York City

"The club have been absolutely magnificent, I cannot praise them enough. They looked after my wife when I was in hospital and have made it a lot easier for me."

YORK City Supporters' Club membership drive passed another milestone this week by surpassing 600 recruits.

The club now boasts 606 members in total with the halfway mark of the 1500 target hovering into view.

Once the club reaches 1500 the City directors have said they are willing to allow a fans' representative to sit on the board.

Despite the offer taking the wind out of their sails somewhat, independent York City supporters' group Fans Assisting City Together (FACT) reveal-ed this week they would still like to play a part in the running of the club.

The group have received the 'Start-up Pack for Supporter Groups' produced by the Government backed Supporters Direct initiative, which was launched earlier this month and encourages fans to take an active part in the running of their clubs.

While FACT admit they were disappointed by the club's dismissal of their own plan, announced last season, for fans to take a £100,000 stake in the club, they insist they have not lost heart.

Joe Haining, of FACT, reiterated his praise of the decision to allow an elected member of the official Supporters' Club to sit in on board meetings.

But while the group had no immediate plans to draw up a new blueprint of their own for fan representation, he insisted FACT were still around and would continue to make suggestions it deemed appropriate.

"It really is a step in the right direction although not the one we were looking for nor what the Government is suggesting," he said.

"We will see what happens in the future but we will continue to provide an independent voice and will be monitoring developments closely."

FRESH from being guest of the week on the controlled chaos that is Sky Television's Saturday morning football show Soccer AM last weekend, City club captain Peter Swan has been enjoying a more sedate time of it.

"Everyone's best mate" - you really need to have seen the show - has been at Lilleshall, the national sports centre in Shropshire, to aid him in his recovery from a knee operation.

"It will probably be another three or four weeks before he can start training," said City chief Terry Dolan. "We are not going to rush him back."

THE face of the voice of York City will be revealed to the nation on Monday.

George Rowe, City's long-standing match day announcer and music controller, is one of the contestants on BBC 2's new tea-time quiz show The Weakest Link.

Hosted by Anne Robinson, the programme sees contestants answer general knowledge questions before nominating each other off the show.

George didn't apply to go on but as a veteran of of daytime television quiz shows, including Cross-wits, 15 to 1 and Countdown, he was asked by the BBC to take part.

Tune in at 5.15pm to see how he fared.

ANOTHER veteran of TV game shows, York City's commercial manager James Richardson, will be putting his best foot forward again and again next month.

Richardson, who earlier this year appeared on the Wheel of Fortune, will embark on his fourth Great North Run on Sunday, October 22, raising funds for St Leonard's Hospice and City's youth development fund.

Sponsorship forms will be available at Bootham Crescent for those wanting to back Richardson's lung-busting efforts over 13 and a bit miles.

NICK Culkin's Bristol Rovers' hopes of having last Saturday's Division Two match with Notts County replayed have been quashed by football's top brass.

The former York City goalkeeping starlet, on loan with Rovers from Manchester United, was in the team which drew with County in controversial circumstances on Saturday.

Leading 1-0 after 88 minutes, Culkin put the ball into touch so one of his defenders could receive treatment.

Instead of giving the ball back, County kept possession and scored a late equaliser.

Football League bosses have now turned down Rovers' request that the match be replayed.

A League spokesman said: "Giving the ball back is a code of honour. It is not in the rules of the game."

Culkin suffered more woe on Tuesday night when he was forced out of Bristol Rovers' match against Wycombe with an ankle injury.

The United goalkeeper was withdrawn in the 63rd minute with his side a goal up after a bad challenge from Andy Rammell.

Rovers went on to win 1-0 after Rammel was red-carded and moved into tenth in Division Two.

AT least one ex-City goalkeeper experienced better fortune than Culkin last week.

Veteran shot-stopper Bobby Mimms was named in the Division Three Nationwide team of the week for his performance for his new club, Mansfield Town, in their 0-0 draw with Exeter.

However, the Football League newsletter's acknowledgement of Mimms' star showing was somewhat begrudging to say the least.

It stated: "Mimms shook off the 'Booby' tag for the weekend, at least." Charming.

CITY'S rapscallion mascot, Yorkie, is set to follow in the footsteps of Red Rum next week by running in this year's Grand National.

Not the Aintree Grand National of course, but the British Mascot Grand National to be staged at Huntingdon Racecourse on Sunday, September 24.

Mascots from a range of sports will compete over a furlong to find the fastest furry friend in the country, with last year's winner, Beau Brummie, Birmingham City's bulldog, the bookies favourite to defend his crown.

Yorkie already rules Bootham Crescent and now it appears he rules the airwaves too.

The oversized lion was interviewed on Richard Littlejohn's 6-0-6 football show on Radio Five last Saturday night and was a midweek guest on Radio York's Nitesport programme.

And his ever-growing band of fans was swollen during City's recent match with Darlington at Feethams.

I understand that, so impressed with Yorkie's on-pitch antics to rally the Minstermen support was Darlington supremo George Reynolds that he tried to poach the furry talisman for the Quakers.

Needless to say, the dyed-in-red Yorkie turned down Reynold's audacious overtures and committed himself to the City cause.