HOW long ago it seems now. York City fans seem to have been fighting to save their club forever, but only two years have passed since the then chairman Douglas Craig dropped his bombshell.

The club was up for sale, he announced. And if no buyer could be found, it would be goodbye Minstermen.

They say you find out who your friends are in a crisis. As it turned out, York City has thousands of friends. Other clubs would die for such a loyal set of supporters.

But they proved to be much more besides: organised, vocal, passionate, resourceful. Within weeks, a York City Supporters' Trust had been set up. And throughout the subsequent storms it has remained a calm, rational voice.

The Supporters' Trust boardroom coup was the best thing that could have happened. Suddenly York City was being run by the fans.

Since then, the trust has worked tirelessly to put City's finances in order and restore its community links. City's players have responded by producing some gutsy performances.

These incredible achievements have been rightly recognised, as the York City Supporters' Trust was last night named the best in the country.

Now the trust has the small matter of staving off the club's imminent homelessness. All possible avenues are being explored.

Best of all, every fan can have their say. They need only join the trust, speak at its meetings and vote for the board. They can even stand for election themselves.

Gone are the days of fans impotently chanting their discontent from the terraces. Today they have a real voice in the modern democracy that is York City.

Updated: 10:14 Wednesday, December 17, 2003