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Normally, the emphasis would be being placed on the fact City could move into the automatic promotion spots. However, with the club being placed into administration this week and handed a five-week time-scale to survive, there are more pressing matters for the club.

While finding a buyer remains the ultimate priority of the administrators, in the interim they need as many supporters attending the home fixtures as possible, starting tonight.

And with the City squad already showing their commitment by playing for free, boss Dolan wants to see a packed Bootham Crescent roar them on.

He said: "The players have always been committed and they are doing all that they can to ensure the club continues.

"The fact we are now in administration and have got just five weeks to get something sortedmeans the players are determined that the club will continue.

"Whatever happens outside that, there is nothing that we can do as a group, but we are as tight a group as we can be and will remain so.

"We are just trying to concentrate on tonight's game. We've been hit with all sorts of things over the past few months and this is just the latest.

"But we want as many people as possible to come through the turnstiles and will then try to entertain them.

"The players are fine, after the result last week, we know that if we can get three points tomorrow we can go up into third in the table which is a tremendous lift going into Christmas week.

"We need to continue what we've been doing in a results point of view, but picking up the three points against Kidderminster was a good bench mark. We now have four games in effectively 11 days and three of these are at home, so we need everyone behind us.

"The players are showing how committed they are, so we need everyone else to show how committed they are now because we have only five weeks.

"It is not a case of maybes, ifs and buts, it is a case that someone has to come in in the next five weeks for us to continue."

City have already faced Lincoln this season, going down 4-3 in the LDV Vans Trophy - and that defeat will add extra incentive for the players.

"I'm looking for an improvement from our win over Kidderminster because we didn't play as well as we could do," said Dolan. "Also there is the fact we still remember our trip to Lincoln in the LDV Vans Trophy which wasn't a pleasant evening.

"We want to reddress the balance and the players will be ready for it.

"We have had a good run at home and will want that to continue. I think Lincoln may have one or two difference faces in the team that we faced, but so will we."

The one change on the playing side will see Chris Brass miss out after his successful operation on his right cheekbone. That means Stuart Wise and Chris Smith are added to the squad.

Tonights squads:

York City

Possible: Fettis, Edmondson, Parkin, Smith, Hobson, Potter, Bullock, Brackstone, Duffield, Nogan, Reddy. Subs from: Collinson, Cowan, Cooper, Wood, Fox, Wise, Mathie

Lincoln

From:Marriott, Futcher, Morgan, Weaver, Bailey, Bimson, Gain, Sedgemore, Wilson, Yeo, Watts. Subs from, Pettinger, Camm, Mayo, Smith, Cropper, Cornelly, Butcher.

Ref: Paul Danson (Leicestershire)

Kick off: 7.45pm

City v Lincoln

The Imps have made 35 previous League visits winning six times and drawing 10.

Since 1950 City can boast an excellent record over Lincoln at Bootham Crescent. In 24 encounters they have only lost once (1979/80 2-0) and in the last eight games here have only conceded two goals.

Last season City won 2-0 with Lee Nogan and Lee Bullock on target. The line-up on March 26 was: Fettis, Edmondson, Hocking, Brass, Parkin, Potter, Bullock, Wood, Proctor (Jones), Nogan, Mathie (Brackstone).

City's biggest win in the series was 3-0 in 1964/65.

Players to have appeared for both clubs include Andy Leaning, John Hawksby, John Mackin, Tommy Spencer, Steve Richards and Colin Alcide.

Updated: 12:48 Friday, December 20, 2002