YORK City midfielder Russ Penn has admitted he was shocked by Martin Gray’s dismissal five games into the new season.

But he has stressed the players are now fully behind caretaker manager Sam Collins.

As the first City player to comment on Gray’s departure, Penn confessed: “It came as a shock but football is ruthless and you have to crack on and move forward. I’m used to it now at my age.

“I was grateful to the previous manager for bringing me back to the club and he was somebody I got on well with but, as players, we are employed by York City, not by the manager, and we’ll be giving everything for Sam now, who has a new philosophy and his own ideas.”

On visiting a Brackley team tomorrow that reached the play-off final last term, Penn added: “It’s a tough game, but they’ll think the same and, if we fire on all cylinders, we’ll be fine. The results have kind of been there, but the performances have been a bit laboured and we’ve got to put 90 minutes together.”

A home match with Blyth follows on Monday with Penn reasoning that the team must win back the support of any unhappy fans.

“I’ve played at Bootham Crescent plenty of times and you have to deal with pressure in football,” he pointed out. “Being booed can be a good thing, because I’d rather play in front of 2,000 fans who care than 150 at Ashton.

“The fans are the heart and soul of the club and this is a massive season. It’s the last one at Bootham and everyone wants to finish it on a high. They’ll be here for years to come - the players won’t be - so we’ve got to do it for them.”