YORK City boss Jackie McNamara has admitted he did not realise you face a financial penalty if you board a train without buying a ticket first.

McNamara was ordered to pay nearly £500 in a fine and other court costs this week after failing to pay the £86 fare for a rail journey between Edinburgh and York on April 11.

Commenting on the circumstances of his conviction and The Press’ subsequent coverage of the offence, McNamara said: “When you take a step back, you kind of laugh at it and it’s an absolute nonsense, but one thing I have learned is that I would encourage everybody not to go on a train without buying a ticket first.

“I wasn’t aware that was the case, even when the machine isn’t working, although it might not end up in the press like me.”

McNamara also confessed that he had a difficult week in the build up to yesterday’s 1-0 home defeat to Aldershot.

Prior to his court hearing, McNamara had stated he would consider his position at the club following last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Barrow and speculation about his job grew further when he didn’t take training the following Monday morning or answer a call and message from The Press regarding whether his absence was significant.

McNamara then received online criticism from supporters when he was pictured on Twitter picking up his new Audi A7 car from an Edinburgh dealer at the time of Monday’s training session and he added: “It was a difficult week because of nonsense things that are nothing to do with football and you could see that spilled to the players (against Aldershot).

“I went back home to see my wife and kids, but I will take it.”