YORK City chairman Jason McGill has called on the club’s players to save underfire manager Jackie McNamara’s job.

The Bootham Crescent owner has also taken a swipe at the club’s supporters for exerting pressure and The Press for what he feels is a personal campaign to oust the Scotsman - not based on results.

McNamara will take his City team to Braintree on Saturday still searching for the first away win of his 11-month tenure.

The Minstermen have also lost eight of their last 11 games and, on Tuesday night, were thrashed 6-1 by National League basement boys Guiseley, who hadn’t won a game all season.

McNamara has won just eight of his 46 games in charge at Bootham Crescent, having made 37 signings during his regime.

In a club statement on Wednesday, the ex-Dundee United and Partick chief said he would tender his resignation if the team did not pick up a “positive result” at Braintree on Saturday.

McGill is hoping that will not be the case and, speaking on the national Talk Sport radio programme, he admitted: “We’re going through a very difficult time at the moment. Following the capitulation against Guiseley, which we didn’t forecast or foresee, Jackie and I had a very emotional meeting on Wednesday morning away from the football club.

“If I’m being honest, I looked at him and I felt he was struggling, but we roused each other. I make no apologies for referencing Theodore Roosevelt’s analogy about the boxer in the ring who keeps getting up after taking blow after blow and it’s easy for people to criticise when you’re not in that position, but we both galvanised each other and the statement was the outcome - rightly or wrongly.

“It’s been made because Jackie is an honourable person with huge integrity that I absolutely respect. It wasn’t my decision - Jackie made it himself and it was his idea.

“I’m hoping there doesn’t have to be much of an extended time and, if any player doesn’t get motivated by the manager putting his head on the line in this way, they don’t deserve to be in football. Jackie believes I deserve better – those are his words.

“We now want the players to put in a whole-hearted and passionate performance.”

With the definition of a “positive result” for City in Essex remaining ambiguous, McGill simply added: “I think he will stay if we win.”

Launching his attack on supporters and the local media, meanwhile, McGill went on to say: “People cast aspersions and go on the internet to make comments thinking we’re faceless people who don’t have feelings, but we do and we have families. It’s an emotional game and emotions run high for the board of directors and supporters.

“There’s a tremendous amount of pressure from supporters and the local media, who I believe have launched a campaign against Jackie personally, not just based on results. I work so hard without any recompense and we’re trying to get a stadium built in the city for no other reason than I want this club to be successful.”

McGill also referred to The Press’ story last week that reported on McNamara’s £500 fine after his failure to pay for a train fare for a journey from Edinburgh to York.

Publication was delayed for a day in order to give McNamara the chance to explain the offence, but McGill argued: “He missed a train from Edinburgh to York and, then, didn’t know it was an offence to board a train without a ticket.

“He tried to pay on the train and the machine wasn’t working. Three cards were rejected and it’s been described as fare dodging, even though he tried to pay.”

Earlier that week, The Press were told by three different sources that McNamara had not taken Monday morning’s training session two days after he revealed he would be considering his position as manager following a 2-0 defeat at Barrow.

The Press left a message with McNamara to find out whether his absence was significant given his post-match comments, but received no response.

A picture later emerged on Twitter of the City boss picking up his new Audi A7, offering the explanation as to why McNamara wasn’t at work.

The Press offered no opinion on his absence at training, but provided two differing views from our online comments section, only for McGill to counter: “Jackie’s car ran out of lease on Monday and the game had been at Barrow, which is near to Scotland.

“He went home to see his family and the paper reported that he doesn’t care about York City, because he was picking up his new car.”