BEFORE we get carried away, let's first remember the war has not yet been won. There are still a few more battles to be overcome.

The £75,000 so far raised does ensure the new York City RL club will be allowed into the Rugby Football League come next season. However, it has long been said that, for the club to prosper, they will need to have £250,000 in the bank before the season starts in March.

That £250,000 is still a long way off so there is no time for complacency, no time for fans to sit back and expect that all will be rosy. Fund-raising and sponsorship efforts must continue, new fans must be found, and old fans must be persuaded to come back, persuaded that this really is a fresh, invigorating, new start.

Nevertheless, all York RL supporters - from Roger Dixon, Steve Ferres and Gary Hall at the top to the youngsters who saved up to buy £30 junior memberships - can be proud that they have won the first, and perhaps toughest, battle.

To get £75,000 in one month - within the deadline set by the RFL - was a remarkable achievement. And to prove the doubters wrong was perhaps even more rewarding.

Furthermore, to get the final few pounds - courtesy of John Smith's Brewery - on the very last day was an incredible piece of sporting drama. Talk about leaving it until stoppage time.

Therefore, everyone who contributed should not deny themselves a big pat on the back, and perhaps even a few more pints - of John Smith's, of course.

Indeed, it does seem the club is on an upward spiral. The gloom surrounding the slow demise of York Wasps is gradually being replaced by a new optimism.

Here's how it all happened...

March 19, 2002: York Wasps announce they have folded. RFL give the club until March 26 to find a buyer before accepting resignation from the league. Initial price tag is estimated at £105,000 for the season.

March 24: More than 400 fans, led by Gary Hall, stage a crisis meeting at Huntington Stadium to discuss ways of saving the Wasps. Pledges come in. Steve Ferres is in attendance.

March 26: Last-ditch take-over deal to save the Wasps collapses. RFL accept the club's resignation. Idea is mooted by fans for the club to pull out of the mid-season National League Cup but stay in the Northern Ford Premiership when it resumes in June.

March 27: Supporters' trust working party is formed. They claim club could run on £40,000 under new structure until end of season, not counting the National Cup.

April 8: Bit-part squad begin training sessions in case club is readmitted to the league this season.

April 26: Trust working party put revised business plan to RFL in bid to resume NFP fixtures come June.

April 29: Former Wakefield chief executive and ex-Huddersfield and Hunslet coach Steve Ferres, an ex-York player, is unveiled as prospective chief executive.

May 1: RFL discuss Wasps' application, but there are "complications".

May 5: Supporters back new proposals to apply for re-admittance to the league next season after hearing it would have been impossible, legally and financially, to meet requirements to be allowed back in this season.

May 7: It is revealed new club are in talks about sharing York City FC's proposed new ground.

May 28: Rumours that York City FC chairman John Batchelor was looking to incorporate the York RL club into his empire are scotched.

May 30: Ferres turns down chance of a top job at a Super League club to concentrate on York RL bid.

May 31: Revised application for league status next season is sent to RFL.

June 1: Long-time fan Roger Dixon, one of the supporters leading the fight to rebuild York RL, is named as the prospective new chairman of the club. WaspAid 2002, a multi-band gig at the Barbican Centre, is held to raise money for the club.

July 10: City of York Council confirm they are to employ an RL development officer to work with new club.

July 19: Ferres meets with RFL to discuss application.

July 31: RFL accept bids by York and London Skolars to play in the new-look National League Division Two next season - on the proviso each can have £75,000 in the bank by August 31. Bramley's application is rejected.

August 1: York RL decide best way to raise money is through membership scheme for fans.

August 5: Fans' meeting takes total in coffers up to £23,000, including donations previously sent in.

August 23: Total reaches £45,000. Former GB star Paul Broadbent revealed as prospective player-coach.

August 30: Total stands at £70,000. John Smith's come in with £5,000 to see the club hit target.

August 31: Club set own target to £250,000 by the end of February 2003 to have a "real chance of success".

Updated: 14:12 Monday, September 02, 2002