SHOCK waves will reverberate around Sunday football in York this weekend following the announcement that Nestl Rowntree have resigned from the York John Smiths Sunday Morning League.

Management pairing John Dixon and Jim Collis had found it increasingly difficult to field a side week in week out despite having 25 players signed on and begrudgingly made the decision to pull out this week.

Nestl Rowntree have been one of the mainstays of the Sunday league for many years and only two seasons ago completed an unprecedented four timer when as well as winning the League Championship, Challenge Trophy and John Smiths Bitter Cup they became the first York club ever to win the North Riding County Cup.

At the beginning of this campaign however, despite having 20 players signed on, they failed to raise a team to play CPP in the first round of the Bitter Cup.

They have subsequently struggled to raise teams in each of the other two games in which they have participated and this has culminated in the sad decision.

Joint manager Collis said: "We have got 25 players signed on but half of them don't even have the decency to ring John back to tell him if they are available. Some of them are prima donnas, in a nutshell, although I do feel for the seven or eight who were committed.

"We had the same problem last year. The previous season we won everything and they then took it into their heads that they had done it and never put the effort in.

"We want to try to keep the club going so we have dropped out of the league but we will still play in the cup."

Rowntrees' withdrawal is the second surprise resignation in a few weeks with long-standing Saturday side Osbaldwick also pulling out.

Collis said: "It's becoming a general pattern now. I could have got players in from Pocklington but that wouldn't be the point of a pub team.

"This has really upset me but we felt it was the only decision we could make."

League secretary Garry Carter said: "Sunday morning football is at a low point at the moment.

"Fingers can be pointed in many directions - the late night drinking culture prevalent at this time combined with the apathy of some players who let their clubs down at the last minute, the amount of football - and indeed other sport - now being played and shown on TV on a Sunday including noon kick offs and a lack of young players coming through at grassroots level.

"One can only hope that the decision of Nestl Rowntree gives Sunday football a kick up the backside and returns the values that it once created."

Updated: 09:48 Friday, September 17, 2004