Hot-shot Richard Cresswell has attracted international attention as a big-cash bid to prise him from York City was snubbed.

Richard Cresswell

The 16-goal marksman was watched by England under-21 coach Peter Taylor at Saturday's 3-1 reverse at Gillingham.

Though Cresswell did not score his overall contribution was tidy, improving to impressive during City's best spell of the game in the final half hour.

Besides the England interest there was also a prime presence from north of the border.

Aberdeen's chief scout Steve Burtenshaw tracked City's star asset at the Priestfield Stadium.

Taylor, who is currently England coach Glenn Hoddle's under-21 lieutenant, was checking on the form of Cresswell with the national youngsters' friendly upcoming at Derby County's Pride Park next month.

It is understood the national hierarchy may want to experiment with the under-21s and the monitoring of Cresswell comes as the City youngster confirmed there had been some interest in him from Port Vale.

The Valiants, to whom City sold former favourite Jon McCarthy for £450,000 just over three years ago, tabled what would have been a City club record bid of £800,000 for Cresswell.

Manager John Rudge visualised the powerful 21-year-old as the man to fire the goals which would drag them away from the First Division relegation quagmire.

But, as revealed exclusively in the Evening Press in late editions of Saturday's paper, Rudge declared that the offer had been snubbed by the Minstermen.

He said he was told by City that the asking price was £1 million down, to be topped up by a further £500,000 after 50 first-team games. Rudge instantly shopped elsewhere snapping up Crystal Palace striker Marcus Bent for £400,000.

Said Rudge: "I'm disappointed to lose out on Cresswell, who is a highly-rated player and will get better. But York wanted too much money."

City chairman Douglas Craig has already publicly declared his valuation of Cresswell to be £1million-plus, so it was no surprise that City rebuffed the Vale offer.

Cresswell said he was aware of the First Division club's interest, but declined to comment any further.

Meanwhile his burgeoning reputation as a marksman to fear this season has also extended to former England coach Terry Venables.

Ted Buxton, Venables' number two at Crystal Palace, before last week's events which ended his rule at Selhurst Park, was among the posse of high-profile scouts eager to check on City's main man at Gillingham.

Cresswell again refused to comment, preferring to dwell on the match action at Gillingham.

"We only got into the game when we went to playing to feet. Both myself and Rodney (Rowe) came deep off the defence to pick the ball up and that started to cause them problems," he said.

City manager Alan Little was also guarded over the latest bout of transfer speculation circling over his top scorer.

Asked about Vale's approach Little would say only: "I'm not getting involved with any of that. I have got no comment to make."

Little's men must now be on home guard

by Tony Kelly, chief sports writer

Home comfort is now being urgently sought by York City after they lost the plot to crash to a second successive League defeat.

City's Division two position thankfully remained unchanged at 11th spot after Saturday's 3-1 fall to Gillingham.

But the vanquished camp insisted that they must now make the most of two Bootham Crescent games on the bounce to Reading and Oldham.

Even more galling for manager Alan Little was his belief that the Kent hosts were ready to be dispatched to defeat in their own back yard.

Sighed Little: "Gillingham were there for the taking. They only looked an average team, but it was our own undoing that caused us to lose the game."

The City manager blamed the Minstermen's misery on defensive errors and the failure to tune to their own rhythm.

"We never played at our own tempo, instead we played at their pace," he said.

"Somehow we just could not lift the tempo of the game. Had we done we could have got something out of the match for sure.

"We only picked it up when we went 2-0 down, but then we had paid the penalty for two sloppy goals, particularly the second one.

That's what is so disappointing about it all."

City's inability to pose much threat in the final third prompted a change on the hour with the introduction of Martin Garratt.

"We had to do something about playing it quicker and the front-men coming off deeper.

"We had to try to get Andy McMillan more into the game and after their second goal we did. When we scored that gave us a bit of a lifeline, but you still cannot give away goals like we did."

Failure to get something from the Priestfield Stadium, where City were undefeated in six previous appearances, now increased the pressure on the next two fixtures. But Little remained upbeat, even though City's last match on home turf ended in a 1-0 fall to Preston.

"We can do it. We have the capability to bounce back," he said.

That rubber-ball sentiment was echoed by captain Barry Jones. "We have given away sloppy goals and teams capitalise on that. We've got to three points as quickly as possible and that means doing it at home."

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