York City administrator Matthew Bowker has revealed he is confident that a buyer will come forward to save the club before the deadline of January 18.

Bowker, a partner in Jacksons Jolliffe Cork, was appointed administrator in Leeds Combined Court yesterday with the view of finding either additional funding or a new owner before the current funds available to the club run out.

But despite the tight timescale, Bowker, who will oversee matters while fellow partner David Willis takes over the day-to-day running of the club, believes the fact the York City has been put into administration will bring potential buyers forward.

He told the Evening Press: "We have had some expressions of interest already in the lead up to the application to court.

"In terms of the expression of interests, we've had one or two local businesses in support of the local council, who are trying to put together a consortium and we are hopeful the publication of these announcements will flush out some other interest.

"First and foremost, the company (York City) is in financial difficulty and has been running up a raft of debts, which it would have continued to do had we not put it into administration, so we have given them that protection.

"What administration does is freezes the company's affairs, freezes action from creditors and gives the administrator, my colleagues and the management at the club, the window of opportunity to try and find a prospective purchaser.

"The advantage of this backstop position of January 18 is that inevitably people sometime take a long time to do these things. With a backstop in place we have the opportunity to say 'you really have got to pull your fingers out and move quickly if there is a desire to save the club'."

As well as the desire from a financial backer, Bowker, who has experience working with other football clubs, is only too away of the importance of getting as many fans through the turnstiles as possible.

With debts around £500,000 and home games against Lincoln (tomorrow), Hull City (December 28), Scunthorpe United (January 1) and Swansea (January 18) - which could potentially be the last ever City game - the club needs the fans out in force.

"We have four key games coming up and we need people to demonstrate their desire for the club now," said Bowker. "No one is kidding. The financial plight of the company means it is insolvent and has been losing rafts of money, so one of the key ways of keeping the business going is by getting bums on seats.

"We have got some big games over Christmas so hopefully we can get support from the community."

The application for administration effectively brings the curtain down on the nine-month reign of John Batchelor, who despite still owning 200,000 in the football club will have no say its the running or potential buyers.

Bowker added: "The directors' powers cease on administration. All those powers and responsibilities that were with the previous board and Mr Batchelor pass to the administration.

"He now has no power in relation to the company affairs.

"If we find someone interested in the club, what will be sold is the business not the shares.

"The liabilities that have been built up stay with the administration, what is sold on is the business - the benefit of Football League status, whatever fixtures and fittings we have got, the assets and goodwill.

"I will then use whatever proceeds from the sale of the business to distribute to the credits."

Updated: 12:16 Thursday, December 19, 2002