York City's Supporters Trust are planning a new recruitment drive after losing more than half of their annual members.

A total of 863 annual members failed to pay their subscription of £10 by the July 1 renewal date, meaning numbers have dropped from 1,633 to 725.

Compensating slightly for that statistic are the 57 new annual members and the 45 upgrades from annual membership to life membership of the Trust, which costs £90.

The number of life members has now increased to 465.

But it is the failure of more than half of last season's annual members to renew that is the Trust's chief concern and chairman Richard Snowball said: "As a supporter-owned football club, it is vital that members renew their membership so that the Trust and club remain strong in this crucial season when we are endeavouring to regain our Football League status.

"If supporters want to feel they own just a very small part of York City Football Club they must join or renew their membership of the Trust, where every member holds one share, and, in turn, the Trust is the 85 per cent majority shareholder in the football club."

The football club's managing director, Jason McGill, has a 15 per cent minority stake after donating a £50,000 cash injection crucial to the Supporters Trust's takeover.

Updated: 11:35 Friday, August 13, 2004