TWO front-runners, including a consortium of local businesses, are leading the race to save York City Football Club, administrators today confirmed.

A nap-hand of would-be owners had originally expressed an interest in taking control of the cash-strapped Minstermen before the deadline to extinction of January 18.

But while no party had officially dropped out of the race, David Willis of Jacksons Jolliffe Cork, admitted there now appeared to be just two leading candidates.

He confirmed one was a local consortium, which suggests the other consortium is not from North Yorkshire, but said he was unable to release any further details.

"There are two clear front-runners and they are conducting there own due diligence and organising their funding," Willis told the Evening Press.

"I have spoken to both parties and both are definitely working towards January 18 and both remain confident they can put something together in the time scale."

The Evening Press understands parties interested in taking control of City have recently held talks with Bootham Crescent Holdings, the owners of Bootham Crescent, about the club's future at the ground beyond this season.

The outcome of those talks are not known, but Willis confirmed: "We are aware that parties have been speaking to Bootham Crescent Holdings on various issues relating to the ground.

"Those negotiations are between the parties and BCH and while we are aware of the negotiations because it impacts on what we are doing we are not involved in those discussions."

Despite there being less than ten days to safeguard City's future, the administrators remain hopeful that a deal can be done.

"The feedback we are getting from these two parties is very positive," he explained.

"They are spending a lot of resources carrying out due diligence and conducting various meetings so they are both very, very serious in what they are doing.

"January 18 is a tight deadline but that will hopefully focus minds. They are very much working towards it and I am hopeful we will receive an offer, although I think it will probably go down to the wire."

Asked how the administrators would decide which offer was best should two be made, Willis said the administrators' duty lay with getting the best deal for the club's creditors.

"But we have also to be satisfied any new owners will have the necessary funding in place and that they have a business plan that is workable," he explained.

"There is no point in accepting an offer if no funding is in place and it is in nobody's interest to pass the club on to a new owner and it then finds itself in exactly the same position in three months time."

Updated: 12:25 Thursday, January 09, 2003