YORK City will equal a club record if they share the spoils for a sixth successive game tomorrow afternoon.

Nigel Worthington’s men travel to Bury on the back of draws against Accrington (1-1), Oxford (0-0), Burton (1-1), Rochdale (0-0) and Morecambe (0-0).

That sequence of results is only one short of a place in the history books, alongside John Ward’s 1992/93 side, who saw honours finish even in consecutive fixtures against Cardiff (3-3), Halifax (1-1), Hereford (1-1), Darlington (0-0), Carlisle (2-2) and Colchester (0-0) between Boxing Day and January 22 before eventually going on to clinch promotion at Wembley under Alan Little with a play-off final victory over Crewe.

In 1997/98, Little also presided over six matches on the bounce that ended on level terms after 90 minutes but that run included a 10-9 Auto Windscreens Shield penalties defeat to Blackpool.

Otherwise, only three other sides in the club’s 91-year history can match the current quintet of five straight draws.

The last were Colin Walker’s class of 2008/9 after opening an ultimately underwhelming campaign with two victories, while teams managed again by Ward and Little respectively, during 1991/92 and 1995/96, have also been emulated by Worthington’s players.

In all three of those instances, the campaigns were not among the happiest of modern times.

After taking over from John Bird, Ward’s side finished fourth-bottom in the old fourth division.

In 1995/96, the Minstermen ended just one place above the old third division relegation zone and, in 2008/9, the club’s lowest-ever finish of 17th in the Conference was endured after Martin Foyle had taken over the managerial reins from Walker.

As a consequence, City chief Worthington will be determined to enjoy more victories during 2014.

Even allowing for the vital four wins in the final five games of last season, ahead of tomorrow’s year-ending trip to Gigg Lane, following separate runs of 16, ten and nine matches without a triumph, the Minstermen have managed only nine successes during the whole of 2013.

That tally, should it not be improved on tomorrow, would represent City’s second-worst return from a full calendar year ever.

Only the Bootham Crescent club’s annus horribilis of 2004, when only seven wins were recorded as Chris Brass’ team lost their Football League status and then struggled to adapt to life in the Conference, stands out as a scarcer 12 months for wins.

The year of 2013, as it stands, equals the paltry number of 1987 successes that marked the end of Denis Smith’s reign and the beginning of Bobby Saxton’s sorry regime.

Otherwise, you have to trawl back to the Midland League days of 1923 for an identical amount of victories.

Having drawn 20 games this year ahead of tomorrow’s fixture, the Minstermen have also already levelled a post-War record, shared with the calendar years of 2008 and 1959 when Sam Bartram was the boss at Bootham Crescent.

The overall club record is 22 but that was set in 1929 and encompassed City’s last Midland League season, which incorporated a sizeable 50-game campaign.


Loan star Lowe tops Player of Month rankings

KEITH Lowe is leading The Press Player of the Month for December standings ahead of tomorrow’s last fixture of 2013 at Bury.

The on-loan Cheltenham defender has been our man of the match from City’s last two games – the draws with Oxford and Accrington – to collect six points towards the contest.

Ben Davies (two) and Wes Fletcher (one) were also rewarded with points for their efforts as our second and third-highest rated players respectively at Accrington.

The two bonus points, awarded to the player who received most man-of-the-match votes from visitors to our website or followers of the @daveflettpress Twitter account, went to David McGurk.

McGurk (two) and Luke O’Neill (one), meanwhile, picked up the other Press points for their performances against Oxford with Josh Carson – the online and Twitter choice as man of the match – winning the bonus points.

To be in with a chance of presenting the December Player of the Month with his prize – a framed photograph – before a match at Bootham Crescent, register your man-of-the-match vote from tomorrow’s match at Bury or tweet @daveflettpress.

The Press Player of the Year latest standings: Carson 18 points, McGurk 14, O’Neill 14, Fletcher 13, Lowe 12, Oyebanjo 12, Brobbel 11, Montrose 9, Jarvis 8, Parslow 8, Smith 7, Bowman 5, Chambers 5, Davies 5, Clay 4, Ingham 4, Pope 2, Puri 2, Whitehouse 2, Kettings 1.

The Press Player of the Month for December latest standings: Lowe 6, Carson 4, Davies 4, McGurk 4, Oyebanjo 4, Fletcher 1, O’Neill 1.

Goals: Fletcher 8, Jarvis 8, Bowman 4, Brobbel 3, Carson 3, McGurk 1, Montrose 1, O’Neill 1, own goal 1.

Assists: O’Neill 5, Bowman 3, Brobbel 3, Carson 3, Clay 2, Fletcher 2, Jarvis 2, McGurk 2, Smith 2, Coulson 1, Cresswell 1, Fyfield 1, Ingham 1, Montrose 1, Oyebanjo 1.

Bad boys: Montrose seven yellow cards; Whitehouse both five yellows; Smith four yellows; Bowman two red, one yellow; Oyebanjo three yellows; Cresswell one red, one yellow; Carson, Davies, Fyfield, Jarvis, Lowe, McGurk, O’Neill all two yellows; Chambers, Clay, Coulson, Parslow, Platt all one yellow.