IF York City are beaten at Leyton Orient this afternoon, it will equal the club’s longest run of consecutive defeats for 27 years.

A sixth straight loss would represent the worst sequence since Bobby Saxton’s relegated old third division side, featuring the likes of popular trio Andy McMillan, Gordon Staniforth and Tony Canham, were vanquished in seven successive fixtures during as many weeks at the start of 1988.

The current team, however, would still be two short of a place in the Bootham Crescent history books.

That dubious club record stands at eight and is shared by sides managed by the hapless Wilf McGuinness and, perhaps more surprisingly, 1955 FA Cup semi-final supremo Tom Lockie.

Ex-Manchester United chief McGuinness suffered his ignominious spell between January 10 and February 24 in 1976, as City’s one and only stint in the second tier of English football came to an end after just two campaigns.

Club legends Graeme Crawford, Chris Topping and Brian Pollard were all ever-presents during that sorry period.

In the same season, McGuinness’ charges were also defeated seven times on the spin from October 11 to November 8, making it no surprise that they were subsequently relegated.

The only other team that can match that depressing tally were Lockie’s 1963/64 outfit, who got no rewards in any fixture between November 16 and January 10 that term.

Bootham Crescent favourites Barry Jackson, Billy Rudd and Tommy Heron, meanwhile, played in every game of that losing streak and the club would finish the season third-bottom and needing to apply for re-election to keep their place in the Football League.

If today’s squad do make it six in a row, they will be the first to suffer that fate since the club made their worst-ever start to a calendar year in 2001 under Terry Dolan.

After dropping to the bottom of the Football League in mid-February, though, that side rallied to finish 17th following a run of just two losses in their last 16 matches.

There was sad news this week, meanwhile, with the announcement that Stuart Myers has passed way at the age of 85.

York-based Myers was the captain of the Scarborough team that came closest to knocking City’s Happy Wanderers side out of the 1954/55 FA Cup prior to their semi-final replay defeat to Newcastle.

The Seadogs led 2-1 in the first round tie with time running out for the Minstermen in front of 10,155 fans at Bootham Crescent but late goals from Arthur Bottom and Ron Spence smoothed the hosts’ passage into the second round and famous victories over top-flight pair Blackpool and Tottenham followed.

A celebration of Myers’ life will be held at York Crematorium on Tuesday at 3pm.

Two former City players, meanwhile, will return to club football this weekend after making their international debuts.

Clayton Donaldson, who now plays for Championship outfit Birmingham City, represented Jamaica for the first time at the age of 31 during a 2-0 home defeat against Panama but, then, went on to score the only goal in a second World Cup qualifier against Haiti as he celebrated winning his second cap.

Left-back James Meredith, who is now 27 and plying his trade at Sky Bet League One Bradford City, also started both of Australia’s victories over Kyrgyzstan (3-0) and Bangladesh (4-0).