A year of big change gets underway as DAVE FLETT, the York City reporter for The Press, outlines.

JANUARY: Goals from Jonathan Smith, Neil Barrett and Leon Constantine – all of whom would leave the club come the summer – ensure York City kick off 2011 with a 3-0 win at Gateshead. Former Minsterman Craig Nelthorpe is sent off for a reckless challenge on Ashley Chambers.

The Welsh Premier League’s leading scorer Jamie Reed, meanwhile, arrives at Bootham Crescent from Bangor City.

A travelling army of 5,000 fans see City go close to causing a major FA Cup upset at Premier League Bolton Wanderers. Barrett fails to take two great second-half chances before goals by substitutes Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander secure a flattering win for the Reebok Stadium outfit.

A calamitous night at Kenilworth Road sees nine-man City crash to a 5-0 defeat against Luton Town. Michael Ingham is sent off after just 14 minutes and, without a substitute goalkeeper on the bench, Chris Smith dons the gloves for the rest of the first half with regrettable consequences.

Smith lets in four goals before Greg Young takes over for the second half and helps to keep the score down despite another red card for Jonathan Smith.

Out-of-favour right-back Duane Courtney is released while midfielder Will Hatfield joins City on loan from Leeds United.

The Minstermen suffer another heavy loss at Southport, going down 4-0 after David McGurk’s dismissal with just 71 seconds on the clock.

Scott Kerr and Liam Darville are snapped up on deadline day, while Jamal Fyfield and George Purcell go out on loan to Maidenhead and Eastbourne respectively.

The month ends with the sad news that all-time City record goalscorer Norman Wilkinson has passed away.

FEBRUARY: Greg Young joins Altrincham on loan until the end of the season.

City inflict a first league defeat on top-of-the-table AFC Wimbledon since mid-November when they enjoy a 4-1 romp at Bootham Crescent.

Daniel Parslow, James Meredith, Michael Rankine and Ashley Chambers all find the net. The leaders get their revenge 11 days later, however, with a 1-0 victory in the return fixture.

MARCH: Centre-back David McGurk signs a new two-and-a-half year deal at City, having handed in a transfer request earlier in the season following interest from Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Luton.

Home wins over Gateshead (2-1), Eastbourne (1-0), Mansfield (2-1) and Histon (1-0) see the Minstermen take their run of consecutive Bootham Crescent league victories to nine.

In contrast, a 2-1 defeat at Cambridge means Gary Mills’ side have only won one of their last seven fixtures on the road.

City reveal that former England legend Paul Gascoigne applied for the club’s managerial vacancy following the departure of Martin Foyle but his interest in the position was not pursued any further at Bootham Crescent.

Aiden Chippendale signs on loan from Huddersfield but swiftly returns to West Yorkshire after failing to force his way into City’s first-team plans.

City announce losses of almost £275,000 for the 2009/10 season, citing a £250,000 rise in playing salaries as an explanation for being in the red despite reaching the play-off final, the third round of the FA Cup and selling Adam Boyes to Scunthorpe.

APRIL: Michael Rankine misses an 88th-minute penalty as City are forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Kettering. The 6ft 3in striker had scored each of his previous seven spot-kicks for the club.

Champions-elect Crawley, meanwhile, require a lucky, deflected equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw at Bootham Crescent after Jonathan Smith had fired City ahead.

Gary Mills’ old team Tamworth wreck the Minstermen’s play-off ambitions with a shock 2-1 win at Bootham Crescent.

Unpopular former City trio Duane Courtney, Ben Wilkinson and Christian Smith are all in the visitors team. Wilkinson opens the scoring before Kyle Perry doubles the lead and Leon Constantine’s late reply is scant consolation for the hosts.

City bounce back with a 1-0 home win over Luton despite Scott Kerr’s red card midway through the second half. Jamie Reed gets the only goal of the game while visiting manager Gary Brabin is also sent from the dugout, sparking unsavoury scenes with stewards that are still to be dealt with in the law courts.

A 2-1 defeat at Darlington, however, all but ends City’s top-five aspirations and that fear becomes reality in the next game – the campaign’s penultimate fixture. The Minstermen fail to score in a home league match under Mills for the first time during a blank stalemate with Cambridge.

City complete the season with a creditable 1-1 draw at Crawley, becoming only one of two teams to avoid defeat against the runaway champions in the Blue Square Bet Premier’s 2010/11 campaign – the other being Grimsby. Afterwards, Gary Mills immediately signals his intention to win the following season’s title.

Liam Darville, Chris Carruthers, Levi Mackin, Michael Rankine, Peter Till, Neil Barrett, Greg Young, David Knight, Will Hatfield, Leon Constantine and Michael Gash have all played their final games for the club after ending the season out of contract.

MAY: Striker Liam Henderson is signed on a two-year deal from Watford while winger Matty Blair turns down the chance to stay at Kidderminster to sign for the Minstermen.

JUNE: Jonathan Smith leaves City for League Two promotion favourites Swindon in a £30,000 deal, while former Lincoln keeper Paul Musselwhite joins the club as player/goalkeeper coach succeeding Andy Leaning in the latter role.

Sought-after striker Jason Walker arrives at Bootham Crescent after completing a £60,000 switch from Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Luton.

Michael Potts, Adriano Moké and Lanre Oyebanjo also put pen to paper after arriving from Blackburn, the Glenn Hoddle Academy and Histon respectively before Newcastle United reserve midfielder Paddy McLaughlin becomes Gary Mills’ final summer signing.

JULY: New boys Paddy McLaughlin, Matty Blair, Jason Walker and Adriano Moké all get on the scoresheet as City start their pre-season campaign with a 5-0 win at Tadcaster. Ashley Chambers, who made his loan move from Leicester permanent in the close season, also nets.

Other friendly wins follow against Quorn (3-1), Grantham (2-0) and Hartlepool (2-1), while the spoils are shared in 1-1 draws with Garforth and Billingham Synthonia. Premier League Sunderland, including the likes of Lee Cattermole, Kieron Richardson, Anton Ferdinand, Steed Malbranque and Titus Bramble, are also pushed all the way before escaping from Bootham Crescent with a 2-1 victory.

George Purcell leaves the club to join Dover.

AUGUST: City wrap up their warm-up schedule with a 1-1 draw at AFC Halifax and a 1-0 home defeat to a young Bolton team.

Jason Walker marks his full league debut for the Minstermen with a match-winning brace in a 2-1 opening day victory at Ebbsfleet.

He is also on target in a 3-1 home triumph over his former club Barrow as City kick off the campaign with back-to-back victories.

City old boy Craig Farrell, though, inflicts a first defeat on Gary Mills’ men when he returns to Bootham Crescent to score the only goal during a surprise victory for new team Telford.

Following encouraging away displays at Kettering (5-1) and promotion favourites Fleetwood (0-0), the Minstermen also end the month with another shock defeat to struggling Alfreton, recording back-to-back home defeats under Mills for the first time. Levi Mackin emulates fellow former Minstermen Farrell and Adam Boyes by getting on the visitors’ scoresheet during the first month of the season.

Jon Challinor leaves Kettering to sign for City on a non-contract basis, joining on the same terms as former Stockport winger Danny Pilkington.

SEPTEMBER: Andre Boucaud is called up to Trinidad & Tobago’s full international squad but remains on the bench during World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Barbados.

Captain Chris Smith concedes two penalties at his old club Tamworth as the Minstermen slump to a 2-1 defeat but, following a scrappy 1-0 home win over Bath, league leaders Wrexham are seen off 3-0 in front of their own fans with Paddy McLaughlin, Ashley Chambers and Jamie Reed all netting during a fantastic first 24 minutes.

City concede a fifth penalty in as many games during a 2-2 home draw with Darlington but then dismantle Luton 3-0 at Bootham Crescent thanks to first-half goals from Ashley Chambers (2) and Jason Walker.

The month ends, though, with a 3-2 defeat at early pace-setters Gateshead with ex-Minsterman Jon Shaw hitting a hat-trick.

OCTOBER: Jason Walker becomes the quickest City player to hit ten league goals in a season. His winner in a 2-1 win at Stockport saw him reach double figures by October 1 – a day earlier than the previous record shared by post-War heroes Arthur Bottom and Jimmy Weir.

Gary Mills is briefly linked with the managerial vacancy at former club Nottingham Forest before the Minstermen hit six goals in a League game for the first time since 1985. Paddy McLaughlin (2), Ashley Chambers, Jamal Fyfield, Walker and Adriano Moké blitz Braintree 6-2 at Bootham Crescent.

Walker becomes a youTube sensation after his spectacular overhead kick in a 2-1 home victory over Grimsby Town causes an internet stir around the world.

Striker Michael Gash, lamentable for most of his City career, joins the growing legion of former players to net at Bootham Crescent in 2011/12 as Cambridge claim a 2-2 draw.

The Minstermen exit the FA Cup after getting the worst possible draw in the fourth qualifying round – away to Blue Square Bet Premier leaders Wrexham. A David McGurk own goal secures a 2-1 win for the hosts with Mills making seven changes to his starting line up for the tie.

NOVEMBER: Leaders Wrexham are unable to repeat their FA Cup success in a 0-0 draw at Bootham Crescent.

Another goal-less match at Barrow – the fourth in a row between the two teams at Holker Street –ends in a damaging fashion for City with stoppage-time red cards for Jason Walker and Andre Boucaud resulting in three-match bans for both key players.

Former England youth international Moses Ashikodi joins the club on loan from Kettering.

DECEMBER: Gary Mills sets his side a 92-point target for automatic promotion and City create a club record when six different players get on the scoresheet during a 7-0 thrashing of troubled Kettering. Jamie Reed (2), Jon Challinor, Matty Blair, Paddy McLaughlin, Ashley Chambers and Moses Ashikodi all net as Mills’ team equal the second-highest margin of victory in the club’s history.

Challinor’s stoppage-time goal ensures the Minstermen avoid defeat to Solihull Moors in the first round of the FA Trophy. Following the 2-2 draw at Bootham Crescent, Matty Blair bags a brace in the replay to secure a 3-0 win and a second-round meeting with Salisbury in the New Year.

The Minstermen’s unbeaten league run, stretching back 12 games to September 27, ends with a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Kidderminster. All the visitors’ goals are scored in the first half and Chambers also has a penalty saved with the scores at 3-1.

Liam Henderson’s first goal for the club sees City end the year with a 1-1 draw at Mansfield.