NEW signing Mark Hotte has become the first Scarborough player to join York City for 50 years.

In fact, only three players in City's 83-year history have swapped the Seadogs to pursue a career with the Minstermen.

The last footballer to travel the rarely-trodden path was Ken Boyes, who gave 11 years of service at Bootham Crescent after being brought to the club by Tom Lockie in 1955.

Prior to Boyes' arrival, only George Maskill (1932) and Matt Jenkinson (1930) had ever defected from City's North Yorkshire rivals.

Centre-back Boyes signed for City after a series of trials games, including a 5-3 reserves' victory over Scarborough in the Yorkshire League.

He was mainly as a stand-in for Barry Jackson with the Minstermen.

In 1966, Boyes was welcomed back to Scarborough, where he was made captain and later had a spell as Boro's caretaker manager in 1973/74 before later scouting for West Brom and Manchester United and working with Northern Electric.

Right-half Maskill played for England Schools and captained the York Schools' side that won the Yorkshire Wylie Shield for the first time.

His City career began in the Midland League in 1924 and he played 91 games before spending five years as an amateur with Scarborough.

Maskill returned to York in 1932 but only made three Football League appearances. His elder brother, Tom, played for City between 1932 and 1933 after becoming York's first schoolboy international in 1917.

Right-winger Jenkinson, a Scarborough fisherman, known as 'Sailor', is the only footballer to leave Scarborough for York twice - in 1930 and 1933.

In his first spell with City, he resisted advances to make him a professional and, after a brief return to the coast, actually netted for Scarborough in a 3-1 FA Cup victory over their North Yorkshire rivals despite still being on the Minstermen's books.

City's latest recruit may only be the fourth player to sign from Scarborough but he will not be the first Hotte to play for York.

Mark's uncle Tim - a striker - made two appearances in 1988 during a loan spell from Hull City.

Updated: 11:10 Friday, June 03, 2005