York City to plot return as they count bitter cost of the drop

After four seasons back in the Football League, York City are again having to face the reality of relegation. Richard Sutcliffe reports.
York's chairman Jason McGillYork's chairman Jason McGill
York's chairman Jason McGill

THIS summer should have provided the crowning glory of Jason McGill’s time at the helm of York City.

A new stadium, firm plans for which have been on the drawing board since 2009, was due to be completed to provide the Minstermen with not only a home fit for the 21st Century but also one capable of generating sufficient additional income to make the club self-sufficient.

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Unfortunately, interminable delays – it was only a month ago that the City Council once again voted to fund the increased £44.2m cost – means not so much as a sod of earth has been dug at Huntington.

York's season in numbersYork's season in numbers
York's season in numbers

Worse still, last Saturday saw York surrender Football League status to leave the club facing a very different summer to the one that had been envisaged as recently as just 18 months ago. Along with keeping fingers crossed that the long overdue building work to turn the new community stadium into a reality can finally begin is the need for a total overhaul of a squad that has been shown to be horribly ill-equipped for a survival scrap.

Jackie McNamara’s job as manager is safe and with just five players contracted beyond the end of June, the Scot has effectively a blank canvas to start again and try to plot a path back to the League at the first attempt.

“Recruitment is going to be everything,” admitted chairman McGill to The Yorkshire Post last night. “Not just important, but everything. Jackie needs the chance to stamp his authority on his own team this summer.

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“We will need something like 15 new players, and they all must have the right attributes. Technical ability is important, of course it is. But we need to look a little bit deeper into character and whether players have the necessary gritty determination and mental strength. We have had our fingers burnt in the past.”

York's season in numbersYork's season in numbers
York's season in numbers

Statistics can, of course, be used to distort a season but in York’s case that is simply not the case. Their figures look every bit as bad as this abject campaign has been, perhaps the most damning of all being that 28 points have been squandered from winning positions to suggest the 44 players to have represented the Minstermen this term have lacked a collective backbone.

Next season’s return to the National League will have financial implications. Parachute payments – York will receive around £470,000 in the first year and half that figure in 2017-18 if still a non-League club – will cushion some of the blow but crowds are likely to be down and McGill last week approached the Supporters’ Trust to ask for help in plugging what he believes will be a £1m deficit until City move into the new stadium.

A substantial wage cut for the five players still contracted to York – included in those deals when signed – will help but, clearly, relegation is going to hit the Minstermen hard.

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“We need the city to get behind us,” added McGill. “I met the Trust towards the end of last week and outlined the need to find £1m – or maybe even a little bit more – to fund the club for those two years. I asked for their ideas and the Trust have promised to come back to me.”

As for York’s relegation being confirmed by Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Accrington Stanley, McGill added: “I feel dreadfully hurt by what has happened, as all York supporters do. I feel debilitated, sickened, in fact. I take full responsibility because I make the decisions in terms of appointments.

“The buck stops with the chairman, you have to stand up and be counted when things go wrong. This season has been very, very hard to take, especially as you put your life and soul into the club – usually to the detriment of other things, such as my business and family.

“But, the hard work is already under way to ensure we have the best chance possible to come straight back up. The process starts (tomorrow), when a meeting involving all the key people at the club will be taking place.

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“A clear plan will be thrashed out and then it is up to us all to make that work. We have to turn those discussions into firm actions. When we went down in 2004, we had huge off-field problems that had to be sorted out. We had no ground to play at, Bootham Crescent had been sold, and we had around £1.8m of ongoing trading losses. It took us 10 years to save the club and turn it around fully.

“This time, though, we can focus on the football. We drew up two budgets a few weeks ago, one as a Football League club and another in the National League. We must get to work.”