FAN power can help lift York City out of the Conference at the first attempt.

The club have budgeted for gates of 2,000 next season and any crowds above that figure will generate cash to spend on the team.

Under Conference rules City will be allowed to spend £250,000 on their playing budget plus a quarter of any other income.

City's big cash generator comes through the turnstiles and crowds have held up remarkably well in recent season's despite the club's poor home form.

Although this season's average gate of 3,963 is down from 4,176 in 2002-03 it is still the second highest in the last nine years. Remarkably it is also up on when City last got promotion in 1993.

It has been helped by big local derbies against Hull City, Doncaster Rovers and Huddersfield. City's board anticipate a drop in home support and a considerable reduction in followers from away teams.

Chester and Scarborough's gates both went down by about 25 per cent when they dropped in to the Conference.

City's home gates have been solid in recent campaigns despite failing to win more than half their home league games in the last seven years - that's just 60 wins in their last 161 League matches.

Finance director Terry Doyle said: "We intend to produce our budgets based on attendances of around 2,000. However, Saturday's remarkable show of support suggests next year's attendances may be higher.

"We desperately urge York City supporters everywhere to maintain their fantastic support for the club next season. The obvious benefit about being a supporter-owned football club is that income generated over and above the budget can be ploughed into the team to ensure Chris Brass is able to attract the right players to bring the club and the fans the success we all deserve."

City's board are meeting tonight to discuss the financial implications of relegation with the possible scrapping of the reserve team on the agenda.

The club have indicated that the youth set-up, crucial to City's future well-being, will remain in place.

One of City's youngest-ever reserve sides was travel to Newcastle United this afternoon for the last Pontin's League game of the season.

The team included three Uunder-16 schoolboys as substitutes while Leigh Wood, 20, was the only non-teenager in the 15-man squad.

Trialist Nathan Bailey was also be given a second chance to impress after scoring the consolation goal in last week's 6-1 thrashing at Hartlepool.

Brass said of Bailey: "He's only 18 and has been released by Reading because they've got eight strikers.

"He has certainly got something but trialists have to earn their deals now. We won't have to make hasty decisions any more."

York City Reserves: : David Stockdale, Nathan Kamara, Stephen Baynes, Michael Staley, Sean Davies, Stephen Lyons, Kane Ashcroft, Leigh Wood, Andrew Green, Nathan Bailey, Robbie Haw. Subs: Arran Reid, Leon Poole, Stephen Collins, Darren Hollingsworth.

Updated: 10:58 Wednesday, May 05, 2004