Secret moves for pared-down York City have been worked out to advance the downfall of moneybags Fulham.

The Minstermen are down to their last 15 fit players, but they nevertheless aim to put enough flesh on the bare bones to keep their season alive.

Defiant manager Alan Little refused to concede the season had died, railing that he would not permit any such mood to infect the players.

"I do not want the season to be dying on its feet," he declared. "There are points to be gained. There are games to be won.

"I cannot tolerate the view that the season is over. It's far from over. We have to finish as high as we can. If players have not got the same approach then they will not play. It's as simple as that."

Coping with a growing injury crisis that again accounted for striker Marco Gabbiadini, whom it was hoped would return against Fulham, is far from facile.

As Little opined: "Losing him again is a big blow as we all know just what impact he made in his very first game for us against Watford. But I'm not going to sulk. I'm going to get on with it.

"After last week's performance we now need to start winning again."

Casualties affect each unit of the team apart from goalkeeper leaving Little to wrestle with just 14 fit outfield players. And the lack of wingers - Graeme Murty recovering from surgery, Gary Himsworth weeks from match fitness, even injured Paul Stephenson bound for Hartlepool - necessitate a likely change of tack.

City's eventual line-up was clouded in secrecy. Said Little: "There's obviously going to be a slight change in formation because of the lack of staff.

"But maybe we needed to freshen up things anyway after we got what we deserved at Preston - nothing.

"We are hoping to do something new, spring something different against Fulham. We have been working on things in training this week, but I don't want to give anything away."

The Cottagers have been scattering money like a cash dispenser and it's somewhat indicative in the difference in resources that the London club have £1.2million worth of talent out injured in Ian Selley, Paul Moody and Wayne Collins.

But the £6million-plus men of Fulham, who will take the field, including £2m Welsh international recruit Chris Coleman, are burdened by the expectation of reputation as well as cash.

Like Coleman, several of the big-money acquisitions have dropped down the divisions to board the Mohammed Al Fayed gravy-train, yet so far the multi-investments have been slow to gel.

The best, arguably the least, the bank-rolled Cottagers expect is to figure in the play-off equation. But while occupying the final play-off place at present their tenure was undermined by last week's 2-1 home defeat by Millwall.

Fulham's scorer and new £800,000 recruit Tony Thorpe, will partner Canadian international Paul Peschisolido in a near £2m strike-force.

And they are likely to give a debut to yesterday's capture, left-back Matthew Brazier, snapped up for the comparative chicken-feed of £65,000 from Queens Park Rangers.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.