Richard Sutcliffe: York anxious to avoid the downside of history repeating itself

THE parallels are clear for all to see and make worrying reading for anyone with the interests of York City at heart.
Nigel WorthingtonNigel Worthington
Nigel Worthington

A season that began amid an air of optimism not seen in years has descended into one that is threatening to end with the hammer blow of relegation.

Victories for Accrington Stanley, Barnet, Torquay United and Plymouth Argyle made Tuesday night one to forget for the Minstermen who, despite not being in action, slid four places down the League Two table and into the bottom two.

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Suddenly, the trapdoor is creaking open under York, a club who have, of course, been here before.

Nine years ago, in fact, when a 20-game winless run saw a place in the top half at the halfway stage of the campaign turn into a 
23rd-place finish and the end of the club’s 75-year stint as a Football League club.

It was a desperate time and few will forget the utter despair of the moment when York’s relegation to the Conference was confirmed. No one wants to go through that again, which is why the nerves of supporters have been jangling in recent weeks as their side has gradually slid down the table in a fashion eerily similar to that of 2003-04.

A 14-game run without a win does that to a fan as does watching his or her beloved team score just eight times in nigh on three months.

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New Year’s Day was when the Minstermen last tasted victory as Burton Albion were beaten 3-0 at Bootham Crescent. Back then, Gary Mills’s side were sitting, if not pretty, then at least in the seemingly safe position of 14th.

In terms of points, the relegation zone was twice as far away from York as the play-offs and all the talk from Mills was of looking up and not down the table.

Almost three months on, however, and that is no longer the case. Not after taking just seven points from a possible 42 at a time when all those at the bottom have been claiming more than a point a game.

The man tasked with changing all that is Nigel Worthington, who succeeded Mills three days into this month and has so far presided over a couple of defeats and a goalless draw at home to Rochdale.

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Tomorrow, the former Northern Ireland manager takes his side to Torquay for one of those encounters that us in the media love to brand as ‘the proverbial six-pointer’.

The game’s importance is perhaps best underlined by Worthington having opted to take the York squad south yesterday, the theory being that the players will be much fresher for avoiding a potential backside-numbing coach ride 24 hours before facing the Gulls.

Let us hope that is the case as the parallels between 2003-04 and this season really are staring the club in the face, including the fact that York, albeit on a night when not playing, dropped into the bottom two with seven games remaining – just as was the case nine years ago.

The run-in, however, does offer hope with five of the Minstermen’s final seven opponents sitting in the bottom half of the table.

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Three of those, starting with Saturday’s opponents Torquay, are also embroiled in the fight for survival at the foot of League Two.

Accrington and Plymouth – due

at Bootham Crescent on April 1 and 6 respectively – are the others on York’s fixture list deep in trouble and it is to be hoped that the city will rally behind their club in this hour of need.

So far, supporters have been excellent in sticking with the team. They have also turned out in impressive numbers, as underlined by the average attendance this term standing at 3,705 – an increase of almost 
16 per cent on 2011-12.

Worthington,left, is in no doubt as to the important role that the fans have to play during the run-in. “The one thing we must do is stick together,” he said last night from York’s base down south.

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“The fans have been brilliant so far and we need them to keep backing the team. We will only get out of trouble by pulling together.

“I appreciate the fans are like everyone else at the club and in the city. They are nervous about the situation and I have heard mention of what happened in the past.

“But one win will kick-start the season, I am sure of that.”

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