A GROUP of York City sponsors have clubbed together to ensure the team's players benefit from an overnight stay ahead of Saturday's vital away match at Southport.

The six supporters have contributed £1,200 in total because the Southport game was not included in the club's pre-match hotel budget at the start of the season due to its relative close proximity from York compared to other Conference destinations.

But, with a victory potentially securing the Minstermen's play-off spot pending results elsewhere and Southport needing points to stay up, the game has attained crucial proportions and Mike Garrity, Ian Surgeoner, Marie-Louise Scott, Shane Winship, Dan Winship and Trevor Milton have stepped in to provide Billy McEwan with the best possible preparation.

Former Doncaster Rovers director Garrity has donated £600 to City's cause while the South Yorkshire side's club president Trevor Milton has also handed over £100.

In addition, City season-ticket holder Surgeoner and his girlfriend Marie-Louise have forked out £400 while Supporters' Club president Shane Winship and his son Dan have pledged £100.

Surgeoner felt duty bound to offer his help with his cricket team Rose and Crown proving somewhat of a jinx at KitKat Crescent this season.

"I don't want to go into the last match against Oxford needing a result because we are sponsoring it and the team haven't scored a goal in the five other matches we've sponsored," Surgeoner explained.

"I also think Billy's done a fantastic job in the last two-and-a-half years and if it means getting a result it will be a small price to pay."

Garrity, whose York branch of Vision Value opticians has sponsored the team in the past, has recently resigned from Doncaster's board but remembers when the two clubs were close rivals in the 1980s and hopes the Minstermen can emulate Rovers by reclaiming their place in the Football League.

He said: "York v Doncaster was a very good rivalry. The two towns are not too far from each other and I'm sure we will play each other again one day."

Boroughbridge-based Milton, a former Scarborough and Doncaster chairman, remains in the Keepmoat Stadium boardroom but also sponsors City, Harrogate Town and Frickley Athletic.

He is a regular visitor to KitKat Crescent and first became a fan when he saw the Happy Wanderers semi-final in 1955 but was told by former owner Douglas Craig that he was "too old" to become a City director before approaching Doncaster.

About the reasons for his donation, Milton said: "We do overnight stays at Doncaster regularly as a wealthier club and it's important for players to completely relax and enables the manager to get amongst them before the game.

"I'm a lover of York City and I've got great admiration for Billy McEwan. He's a great manager and he deserves to be back in the League.

"He's done great things at Derby, Rotherham and Sheffield United and, if he got York back up there, it would be his crowning glory really."

Shane Winship, who runs the Alice Hawthorn pub in Nun Monkton and attended his first City match in 1966, added: "The next two games are probably the most important we will be involved in for a number of years.

"It's important we get the maximum out of the players to get the points on board to get into the play-offs because I've not seen a team better than us in the Conference this season."