FORMER York City captain Sean Newton has revealed an incredible bust-up which took place with ex-manager Sam Collins, that would lead to the deterioration of his relationship with supporters. 

Newton, appearing on the I Had Trials Once podcast, dramatically revealed the truth behind his strained relationship with former boss Collins, who was in charge for just shy of five months, which saw rumours spread that he had refused to pull on the City shirt, despite being captain. 

However, Newton has denied the allegations and has gone into detail on what caused the rumours to spread in the first place, after claiming to be mistreated by Collins during a rough period for the football club. 

In the Minstermen’s second season in the Vanarama National League North, an underwhelming 12th placed finish came in an inconsistent season for York, with Collins eventually going on to be replaced by Steve Watson. 

Newton would explain the situation which took place in his six year spell in North Yorkshire, going on to make an impressive 159 appearances for City and netting 29 goals. 

Strangely, the spat between Collins and Newton began ahead of a Christmas party, after a 2-0 loss against Boston United on Saturday, December 8.

“We had an ex-manager where Christmas do’s are a two days, where no matter what happens, you’re allowed the Monday off,” Newton explained on the I Had Trials Once podcast.

“Hotels were paid, tables were paid and we got beat by Boston, and he said that we were in on Monday. 

“I think that I was the captain as well, I’m just thinking that I’ve got to say something here because I knew that every single of the lads would be out. 

“I said to the gaffer that we will be in on Monday, and if anyone says otherwise now and I’d be happy to know, but we’re off out for two days. 

“He said that it was fine as long as we’re all at training at 9am on Monday. I got to training on the Monday and Taity [Joe Tait], he’s a cannonball, had smashed his nose up and he’s absolutely loaded, but he dresses like a scruff. 

“He showed up in a long sleeve creamy baggy top on, his nose was massive with a big cut on it, he wore a cap and looked like a doofus. 

“It got to Monday and we hadn’t seen him, we were all training and were wondering where was Taity, he still wasn’t there.”

“He rings us, ‘I’ve had to get a taxi from Newcastle. I’ve had to leave my car, I’ve had to leave my bag’. Everyone was in the changing room, he’s turned up in school socks, shorts and a t-shirt, I think they were from lost and found from where we trained.

“I’d pulled my groin because there was no water but only alcohol, another lad got injured, all because he [Collins] had gone back on his word.”

That was just the beginning of the straining of relationship between captain and manager, with Newton going on to explain how the rumours of his refusal came about.

Newton continued: “The same manager leaked to the press that I had refused to play after coming back from my injury, he’s said to go and get fit over the next few days because I was starting.

“We did 11v11, we drew or lost the game before, so I was staying after training doing loads of running, loads of extras.

“It comes to the Friday and the squad goes up, and I’m not in it.

“I’d gone from being on the bench and coming on, getting told I was starting, to not being in it. So for the first time in my life, I’ve lost my head going into the manager’s office.

“I’ve gone in and sat there, he’s come in and asked if I want the physio and Parns, Stuart Parnaby who played for Middlesbrough, a legend of a person, to go, and I’ve said no they can stay.

“I’ve gone ‘what is going on here? You’ve told me I’m starting and I’m not in the squad’. He’s sat back on his chair and put his hands on his head and just said ‘I don’t know what to do’.

“I’ve gone ‘what? What do you mean you don’t know what to do, you’re the manager’.

“He’s just said that he doesn’t know if I’m fully fit and how he needs the win, so I’ve said ‘I tell you what you can do, me and you are done, if you’re not putting me in the squad now and we’ve lost when I’ve been coming off of the bench, what chance have I got?’.

“He just said that I was probably right because the fans are on you at the minute, so it might take a bit of slack off of him.

“I’ve just said sound, I’ll find myself a club whilst I’m away, you go and get your results.

"I think they drew and then won, they beat Darlo [Darlington] at home, he called me back in before the Darlo game and asked where my head was at.

“I’ve just said I’m going, I’m not happy with how you’ve treated me and I’m going. He’s agreed, shook hands and gone.

“I’m at the game the next day and someone’s gone ‘have you seen Twitter?’, I’ve gone no and I’ve gone on and seen Sean Newton refuses to play for the club.

“I actually hadn’t, he hadn’t picked me for the squad, we’d had a disagreement and then agreed that it was best if I moved on, I don’t know if he’s told someone but I’ve got abuse from the York fans for it.

“To this day, I still think they believe it but I never refused.

“It’s the manager, be upfront, if he had pulled me on the Friday and said that he doesn’t know if he can play me because of this, then I would have had training to get my head around it.

“I probably would have disagreed, but at least he would’ve pulled me on it.

“He’s put the squad list up, I’ve had to read the list like a kid, I was 28 and captain of the club.

“I’m not even in the squad, he hasn’t told me and is expecting me to just get in my car and drive home.

“It’s mad, I got three player-of-the-year awards whilst at York and the fans hated me when I left.”

Newton would go on to explain how his initial move to City would come about, including his close-knit relationship with former manager Gary Mills.

The former defender also laughed about his goal record during the covid-19 stricken seasons, which never counted towards his career tally due to the null and voiding of the divisions.

“Gary Mills rang me and said that he was going to meet the York chairman, and that there was a good chance that he would get it.

“He said he’d ring me, so I said sound and that I’ll sit tight, he got the job and then I went there.

“That year I think I got in the team-of-the-year, the one where we came back from covid and it got cut short in November or December, I was on 14 goals.

“I don’t know what it was, maybe it was the pressure of having no fans and having the cardboard cutouts.

“I was scoring free-kicks and pens, I scored two free-kicks against Southport and two free-kicks against Kettering, a free-kick and a pen against someone else, a shot against Farsley.

“In those two seasons, I think I scored 24 goals and we didn’t even finish two seasons.

“What’s horrible, because it was the covid year and the season ending in November, it didn’t count!

“I’d be on 100 career goals now, honestly it kills me.

“We played three at the back and at the time, it suited me to a tee.”