York City manager Billy McEwan has called on the local business community to save the club's reserve team.

McEwan has reluctantly accepted that the reserves could be disbanded by the club out of financial neccessity next season but is concerned about the possible repercussions on the first team.

The City boss believes reserve team football provides a crucial stepping stone for junior players and is also important for players who are out of favour or returning from injury.

As a result, the City boss is appealing to local companies to help sponsor the club's second string next season.

He said: "There's money in York. I can see that just by looking around.

"I'm just hoping the word can get around about what we are trying to achieve here. I want everybody in York to know they have got a football club and we would be grateful for any help they can give us.

"We need about 20 business people to put their hands in their pocket and give us say £500 each to save our reserve team. That would be a little thing but a big thing for York City Football Club.

"I understand the economics at the club and we can't expect the great people who saved this club to keep doing it so I'm appealing to anybody out there to help and we will do all we can in return because I believe we can be successful if the whole city comes together."

Should City not play in next season's Pontins League, the alternative would be to arrange friendlies but standard of opposition and the fact that local senior non-League sides already have congested fixture problems could lead to difficulties.

McEwan added: "It's important that we have a reserve team. If we don't, how do we keep players match fit and happy that aren't in the first team? You don't and we would lose them.

"You can arrange friendlies against teams but they are already in leagues so who are we going to play? Losing the reserves would make my job more difficult. At the moment, I have one arm tied behind my back and, if that happens, I will have two.

"You have got to have an infrastructure.

"If you have a youth set-up, you can't expect an 18-year-old to play in a youth team on a Saturday morning and then go straight into playing in the Conference. It's too big a jump and what about Steve Davis? How would he be getting match fit without the reserves?"

City's Saturday matches against Gravesend and Northfleet and Hereford United will go ahead as planned next month after both teams lost FA Trophy replays last night.

Nine-man Gravesend lost 3-2 to Bishop's Stortford after extra-time.

Hereford went down 1-0 at Hucknall Town, leaving Burton Albion - the Minstermen's third round conquerors - as the only Conference team left in the semi-finals.

City host Gravesend on April 2 and visit Hereford seven days later.

Updated: 09:51 Wednesday, March 16, 2005