CHRIS Brass has revealed he bears no grudge towards the York City board of directors that sacked him nine years ago.

In fact, the current Torquay United assistant manager, who will be hoping to outwit his former employers this afternoon, has even suggested the club might have acted sooner to prevent his team tumbling out of the Football League back in 2004.

Brass, handed the Bootham Crescent managerial reigns at 27, failed to build on a promising start of four consecutive League wins at the start of his first campaign in charge and the Minstermen were relegated to the Conference following a season-ending run of 20 games without a victory.

It was a chastening experience that Brass claimed he drew upon when brought in as Alan Knill’s number two last season with the task of steering the Gulls to safety.

Equally, he reckons the “brave” decision to replace double-winning Wembley manager Gary Mills, following an 11-game sequence without a victory last March, might have been influenced by events almost a decade earlier.

Mills’ successor Nigel Worthington went on to guide City to four wins in their last five matches to stave off the threat of relegation and, with the passage of time, Brass now admits a change of manager could have been the best course of action when he was struggling to reverse fortunes.

The following season saw Brass relieved of his duties in November but he retains an affection for the club he served as a defender for just short of four years.

Brass, now 38, said: “I’m not at all bitter and York City’s result is still one of the first I look out for. I still don’t think that people fully appreciate how close we came to not having a York City Football Club and anybody involved in saving the club back then cannot lose that affinity easily.

“Everybody played their part whether they were supporters shaking buckets, players deferring wages or the likes of Jason McGill putting money in. I suppose, for me, when I left it was a bit like when a marriage comes to an end.

“The divorce isn’t pretty but, hopefully, both parties have learned from the good and bad. What happened with me all those years ago probably meant the club made a swifter decision to change manager this time around and brought Nigel in when they did.

“It was a brave decision but, when you look back at what happened under me, maybe sometimes you do need a change. They stuck with me and we didn’t get out of it.

“But both York and Torquay made changes towards the end of last season and the clubs finished as two of the division’s form teams.”

Brass also believes former Norwich and Northern Ireland chief Worthington is the right man to move City forward, adding: “I remember Nigel from when I was playing for Burnley and he was manager at Blackpool.

“He lost his job there but, just speaking to him, you could sense his passion for the game. I take my hat off to him because he’s managed in the Premier League and at international level but he was still prepared to challenge and back himself as a coach at this level and I am not sure too many in his position would have done that.

“The current squad he has put together certainly looks to have a good mixture of experienced players and young ones with potential.”

As the man to bring David McGurk to York and a team-mate of Michael Ingham during his first spell at Bootham Crescent on loan from Sunderland, Brass has been particularly pleased to witness the roles the loyal pair have played in the club’s renaissance.

“I am surprised Dave hasn’t gone on to play higher but he has had a few injury problems,” Brass said. “Inghy is also a high-calibre goalkeeper at this level.

“He had it all as a youngster and it’s not too late for him to bounce back up the divisions either.”

City finished two places above today’s hosts last term and only a point separates the pair in the current standings with Brass reckoning the targets for both teams in 2013/14 should be similar.

“I think both clubs are looking for slow progression and to do better than they did last season,” he reasoned. “You can do that by laying down building blocks and putting a squad together to challenge.

“That’s where I feel York should be. It’s been good to see the crowds coming back and, realistically, when there is no instability off the field as we had when I was there, the club should be pushing for League One, especially when the new stadium comes along.”

Brass has joined up with Knill for a third time, having also worked alongside the ex-Swansea centre-back at Bury and Scunthorpe.

Despite having never taken up another managerial job since his dismissal by the Minstermen, Brass is not ruling out becoming the top dog again one day.

“It would have to be right for me and the club,” he revealed. “I thought it was the right time at York but, when you look back with all the financial stuff in the background, maybe it wasn’t.

“I had lots to learn and, sometimes, you only do that by making mistakes. Other matters can also be out of your control when money is tight.”

September bauble for Brobbel

ON-LOAN Middlesbrough winger Ryan Brobbel has won The Press Player of the Month award for September.

Brobbel scored a goal and claimed two assists during three impressive outings for the Minstermen after missing the first game of the month – the 2-0 home defeat to AFC Wimbledon – due to international duty.

He clinched the award by polling the most man-of-the-match votes from visitors to our website and followers of the @daveflettpress Twitter account.

That accolade earned Brobbel two bonus points towards the competition, leaving him one clear of nearest rival Lewis Montrose.

Brobbel received another point as our third-highest rated player from the win over Portsmouth with The Press man-of-the-match Wes Fletcher (three) and Josh Carson (two) also rewarded for their efforts.

To be in with a chance of presenting the October 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 Torquay by visiting www.yorkpress.co.uk or tweet your choice to @daveflettpress The Press Player of the Year standings: Oyebanjo 9pts, McGurk 7, Smith 7, Jarvis 6, Montrose 6, Brobbel 4, Chambers 4, Clay 4, Carson 3, Fletcher 3, Ingham 2, Parslow 2, Puri 2, Davies 1.

The Press Player of the Month latest standings: Brobbel 6 pts, Montrose 5, Carson 4, Parslow 4, Fletcher 3, Oyebanjo 3, Ingham 2, McGurk 2, Puri 2, Jarvis 1.

Goals: Jarvis 5, Fletcher 2, Brobbel 1, McGurk 1, Montrose 1.

Assists: Brobbel 2, Carson 2, Jarvis 2, Bowman 1, Clay 1, Cresswell 1, Smith 1.

Bad boys: Montrose five yellow cards; Oyebanjo three yellows; Cresswell one red, one yellow; Smith two yellows; Bowman one red; Carson, Chambers, Clay, Coulson, Jarvis, Platt, Whitehouse all one yellow.