YORK City have parted company with assistant manager Steve Torpey.

The Press understands that Torpey’s role as assistant to manager Russ Wilcox will now be filled by an external candidate while Richard Cresswell is expected to continue in the first-team coaching role that he performed during the final six weeks of last season.

Torpey’s departure ends a six-and-a-half year association with the Minstermen.

He first arrived at Bootham Crescent in December 2008 as youth-team coach and, at the age of 38, he was even registered as a player under then manager Martin Foyle as the team battled against relegation from the Conference.

That period saw striker Torpey make his final two appearances as a pro against Eastbourne and Lewes, concluding a career that saw him score 183 goals in 733 matches, including two-and-a-half seasons as Wilcox’s team-mate at Scunthorpe.

The former Bradford, Swansea and Bristol City forward went on to take charge of the first team as caretaker chief for one game in 2010 - a 4-0 defeat at Newport - following Foyle’s resignation and Andy Porter’s decision to move on after his temporary spell at the helm.

Torpey, now 44, reverted back to his youth position under next boss Gary Mills but was promoted to a first-team job when he became Nigel Worthington’s assistant in March 2013 - a responsibility he continued to hold under Wilcox last season.

City chief Wilcox declined to comment on Torpey’s exit but a club statement read: “Everyone at York City would like to thank Steve for his significant contribution to the club over the past seven years and wish him all the best for the future.”

Torpey is the second member of last season’s coaching staff to leave the club within a week as he follows goalkeeping coach Andy Collett out of Bootham Crescent.

The Minstermen, meanwhile, have been named as one of 42 Football League outfits to be awarded the body’s Family Excellence Award for 2014/15 which measures the outstanding experience provided by clubs for young fans and families.

Despite a significant increase in the benchmark standard being applied by the judging panel, who visited Bootham Crescent, on a “mystery shopper” basis, City have received the recognition for the first time since being promoted back to the League in 2012.

Six clubs from the League’s 72 members - Doncaster, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Milton Keynes Dons, Shrewsbury and Tranmere - won the award for an eighth consecutive campaign, while City were one of 13 clubs to achieve the status in League Two.

The others were AFC Wimbledon, Burton, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Dagenham, Morecambe, Northampton, Plymouth, Shrewsbury, Southend, Stevenage and Tranmere.

It has also been revealed that junior attendance in the Football League has risen by 31 per cent over the last six seasons.