YORK City boss Billy McEwan has revealed that former club captain Mark Hotte asked to leave KitKat Crescent with seven games of last season left to play.

Hotte, who has since been released by McEwan, wanted to be loaned out to another club having grown frustrated with life on the bench.

But the City boss reasoned that he was in no position to sanction such a move while the Minstermen were still in the hunt for a Conference play-off place.

McEwan's comments are in response to Hotte's claims that he was not given a sufficient run of games to prove his worth in a City shirt.

Said the City boss (pictured above): "I am disappointed in his attitude.

"The facts are that, with seven games left to play and the club still having an outside chance of making the play-offs, my club captain came in and asked to leave. I couldn't believe my ears at the time as we still had an important run-in.

"He wanted to go out on loan to get football. I can understand that but how could I agree to it? If I had let him go and David McGurk or James Dudgeon were injured, then the fans would have hanged me.

"He was just thinking about the name on the back of his shirt rather than the one on the front.

"It's not all about me, it's about we."

Hotte also criticised McEwan for not informing players that they would be released before the end of the season.

But the City boss pointed out that, with the club harbouring play-off hopes until the penultimate game of the season and carrying such a small squad, contract considerations had to wait.

He added: "You cannot think about players' contracts during the season at a club our size. There's a time and place for that. I wanted him to concentrate on playing and let me manage."

Updated: 08:58 Friday, May 26, 2006