YORK City legend Chris Topping has tipped the Minstermen to advance to Wembley - even if they fail to score against Morecambe in Friday's play-off opener.
The one-time defensive sentinel, who was a lynchpin of City's historic first season in the old Second Division (now the Championship) in the mid-1970s, hailed the current crop of Minstermen and their leader Billy McEwan for playing the game the right way.
And he insisted that such a bold and refreshing approach could help to manoeuvre them past the doughty barrier of Morecambe and on to a place at the new Wembley on Sunday, May 20.
Declared Topping: "Watching them in that last win against Oxford I was delighted by the manner in which they played.
"They really played good football, bringing the ball well out of defence while the midfield players are always busy. And though Clayton Donaldson is not currently at his best, Craig Farrell puts in a lot of graft. It was encouraging to see the team play like they do."
Should the Minstermen fail to maximise home advantage during Friday's first leg at KitKat Crescent, Topping was more than confident his former club could prevail in next Monday's second leg at Christie Park.
"I would not be too displeased if City were to be held 0-0 on Friday," said the man who made 461 appearances for City, including a record sequence of 355 consecutive league outings.
"I think the way City are set up they are even better away from home and I could see us getting through 1-0 at Morecambe and going on to the play-off final at Wembley."
As a player, Topping, whose ten-year career at City, where he was the club's first apprentice professional, ended in 1978, never had to endure the unique pressure of the play-offs, but he was all in favour of the system.
He told The Press: "It keeps the season going and the beauty of them is that a lot more clubs have something to battle for."
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