In a game when City were solid if unspectacular, the fans who travelled to Southend would have been forgiven for not being over enthusiastic.

However, I cannot emphasise enough how proud I felt at seeing the way the City faithful conducted themselves.

For what must have been the last half hour of last Saturday's match, the York support sang non-stop and didn't let the final whistle stop them.

While in the past City supporters have been criticised for being too quick to criticise their team, Southend was the perfect riposte.

Recently a number of Premiership grounds have been criticised for their lack of atmosphere which provides a remarkable contrast with the performance of a few hundred York supporters at Southend. I believe this is merely a reflection of the optimism Terry Dolan has brought to the club and long may it continue.

A final work must be said with regard to Nigel Pepper. He never appeared as anything less than the consummate professional in his time at City.

It is a mark of the man that he still commands the respect of the City supporters and that he found time to applaud the York fans at the end of the Southend game where other ex-players have only found time to goad and insult their former followers.

For this Nigel deserves a great deal of credit and I'm sure all at City wish him the best for the future.