SINCE the win against Southend two weeks ago it's been a quiet time for York City by our standards.

Emotions were running high as not only did the Supporters' Trust finally take control but we moved into the third automatic promotion place.

Although the results at the weekend, and Wrexham's subsequent last-minute victory last night, means we have dropped to sixth, we are still in with a confident shout.

At last we can see light at the end of the tunnel we've been waiting so long for.

Relief for all concerned and now we've only one goal - promotion.

Due to suspension, I'll be missing this Saturday's game against Rochdale.

But every game now will be seen as a stepping stone to us gaining a place in the Second Division.

As our problems at Bootham Crescent seem to be subsiding I have had time to catch up on what has been happening elsewhere in the Nationwide leagues.

Two of my previous clubs have been creating headlines of their own for very different reasons - Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United.

When I left Huddersfield in 1999 they had just installed a new chairman and management team and were spending money in the hope of reaching the Premiership, which at that time seemed possible.

Four years later and the club is in administration and lying in the relegation zone of the second division.

Like so many other clubs, they are fighting for survival. For such a huge club with a fantastic fan base this is a tragedy.

Knowing most of the staff and players, my thoughts go out to them and hope that things will be resolved quickly for their sakes.

Coincidentally, Neil Warnock, who is now the manager of Sheffield United, was my gaffer at Huddersfield.

I played in his team that won promotion to the First Division, through the play-offs.

He has a proven track record and with United in a similar position I'll be watching closely to see the outcome.

In my time at United we also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Sadly we missed out and lost 2-1 to Sheffield Wednesday.

This time around the team to beat is Arsenal, a tough opponent but no team is invincible.

United have saw their fair share of difficulties and not so long ago had financial problems of their own.

Their push for the Premiership saw a high wage bill and the general overspending in football at that time.

However, they seem to have overcome this and now seem to be thriving. They have an excellent academy and seem to be producing young talent by the handful, some of which have already broken through to the first team.

That's a lesson to be learned by all struggling clubs facing the same problems that we saw at Bootham Crescent and that Huddersfield are now going through.

When assessed, the PFA said our situation at York was the worse case they had witnessed in ten years and we are living proof that every cloud has a silver lining.

Updated: 11:48 Thursday, April 10, 2003