NIGEL Worthington might be struggling for results but his current losing streak is still four games short of one of York City’s managerial legends.

A defeat at Wycombe Wanderers this afternoon would mean Worthington will become the first City manager to suffer five straight league losses since Alan Little in 1995.

But he would still be three reverses short of the club record, which belongs to much-loved former Happy Wanderers chief Tom Lockie.

In fact, Lockie – the man who guided the club to the 1955 FA Cup semi-finals – actually holds two records for consecutive defeats.

The studious Scotsman remains the only Minstermen chief to lose eight league games in a row, with his 1966/67 team, despite including the likes of David Dunmore, Phil Burrows, Barry Jackson and Mike Walker, going on a barren run that saw the club fail to pick up a single point in two months from mid-November to mid-January.

That side were subsequently forced to apply for re-election after finishing third-bottom in the Football League.

During that sequence, though, the club did manage to negotiate a way past Morecambe in the FA Cup following a second replay and also held Middlesbrough twice in the same competition before being knocked out at a neutral venue – St James’ Park.

But Lockie also shares the club’s longest tally of eight successive losses in all competitions for another torrid two-month period when Happy Wanderers heroes Tommy Forgan and Norman Wilkinson were among the players who suffered seven league defeats and a 5-2 FA Cup home thrashing against Carlisle during the 1963/64 campaign that also ended in re-election.

The hapless Wilf McGuinness, who oversaw back-to-back relegations during his tenure in charge at Bootham Crescent, matched Lockie’s “eight in a row” between January and February 1976.

Club greats Graeme Crawford, Chris Topping, Jimmy Seal and Brian Pollard were all members of that team, but, in their defence, they were plying their trade in the old Second Division (Championship) and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea.

City’s current squad, meanwhile, will be available to meet supporters and sign autographs at tomorrow’s Family Fun Day at Bootham Crescent.

The event, supported by Benenden Health, will take place from 11am to 3pm with admission free.

Ground tours will be held during the day with other fun activities including a penalty shootout, bouncy castle, children’s rides and a football display and competition.

In addition, there will be a cake stall, book stall, raffles, a photography studio, ice cream van and candy floss while among the organisations running stalls will be Benenden Health, SNAPPY, Minster FM, York Theatre Royal, York City Commercial, Wired/Wed Adventure Park, York City in the Community, York Sports Village, York City youth team, York Minstermen, East Riding Minstermen, Harrogate Minstermen, York City Supporters’ Club, Copmanthorpe Guides and the City of York Council, which will be promoting its Just 30 initiative, as well as providing updates on the community stadium plan.

The club shop and Pitchside Bar will be open throughout the event with Yorkie the Lion also in attendance.
 

LEWIS Montrose is heading The Press Player of the Month for September standings after winning our man-of-the-match award for last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat to Mansfield.

That accolade earned Montrose three points towards the contest and also moved him to joint-third position on The Press Player of the Year leaderboard.

The other Press points on offer in both competitions went to Michael Ingham (two) and Dan Parslow (one) as our second and third highest rated players respectively.

Parslow, meanwhile, received the two Player of the Month bonus points available, having polled the most man-of-the-match votes via Twitter and The Press website.

To be in with a chance of presenting the September Press Player of the Month with a framed photograph before a City home game, vote for your man of the match from today’s game at Wycombe or tweeting your choice to @daveflettpress

The Press Player of the Year standings: Oyebanjo 9pts, Smith 7, Jarvis 6, Montrose 6, McGurk 5, Chambers 4, Clay 4, Ingham 2, Parslow 2, Puri 2, Davies 1.

The Press Player of the Month latest standings: Montrose 5pts, Oyebanjo 3, Parslow 3, Ingham 2, Puri 2, Jarvis 1.

Goals: Jarvis 4, Brobbel 1.

Assists: Bowman 1, Clay 1, Cresswell 1, Jarvis 1, Smith 1.

Bad boys: Montrose four yellow cards; Cresswell one red, one yellow; Oyebanjo, Smith both two yellows; Bowman one red; Chambers one yellow, Clay one yellow, Coulson one yellow, Jarvis one yellow, Platt one yellow.


Malcolm in the middle of US football security lessons

YORK City vice-president Malcolm Dawson was recently selected ahead of candidates from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to receive a lesson in security at US sporting events.

Huntington-based Dawson, who has been the security operations manager at the University of Leeds for 22 years, was chosen after his counterparts from further education establishments up and down the country were invited to express an interest in the inaugural international exchange scheme, organised by AUSCO (Association of University Security Officers).

The former North Yorkshire Police officer’s visit to Georgia Technical Institute included a behind-the-scenes operations tour at the Atlanta Falcons versus Jacksonville Jaguars NFL American football match.

Dawson was a guest of the Georgia Police Department at the game, which was attended by 49,000 fans, including the Jaguars’ owner Shahid Khan, who recently completed his takeover of Fulham Football Club.

The hosts were presented with six City shirts by Dawson, who was impressed by the meticulous work he witnessed at a time when police costs at Bootham Crescent have come under scrutiny due to the club’s all-ticket policy this season.

He said: “It was an eye-opening experience and the police operation was unbelievably vigilant.

“There were bomb disposal vehicles checking cars coming in and out of the stadium and the security was far bigger and wider than what you would see for a football match in this country.

“The big concerns are terrorist attacks and possible armed gunmen, which is not really a problem we encounter over here thankfully.”