Trophy travels

10:34am Saturday 1st March 2008

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YORK City will spend two nights in Devon ahead of next Friday's vital FA Trophy semi-final, first leg clash against Torquay.

Manager Colin Walker, club secretary Nick Bassett and boardroom members spent the first part of last week discussing the best possible form of preparation for the Wembley eliminator and then organising the desired itinerary.

The fact that City have been told they must play at home to Exeter soon after the Plainmoor clash ends has also been a consideration in the travel arrangements.

Walker said: "We spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday planning the travel for Torquay and I was glad it was out of the way so we could concentrate fully on Cambridge for the rest of the week, because that's a massive game as well.

"We will travel to Torquay on Thursday, train down there on Friday and then come back on Saturday. We will then train on Sunday before Monday's match."

City's tight schedule will leave little time for rest with the team travelling, training or playing for four out of five days, starting with Thursday's trip to Devon.

Walker is disappointed fellow play-off hopefuls Exeter would not agree to a postponement of the Setanta-televised Blue Square Premier clash a week on Monday, but understands their reasons. "Exeter didn't want to switch it and, given the choice, I don't suppose you would," Walker admitted. "It's an important game for them as well as us.

"They won't be playing on Saturday now, but we have to play two games in four days. It doesn't seem fair. But it's better being in this position than not having any meaningful games."

McGurk's big prize

DAVID McGurk has won the Press Player of the Month award for February.

The 25-year-old defender pipped joint runners-up Anthony Lloyd, Ben Purkiss and Nicky Wroe by a point after picking up a maximum five points from last weekend's 1-0 FA Trophy quarter-final win at Rushden.

McGurk won our man-of-the-match honours at Nene Park to collect three points and then also received the two bonus points on offer towards the monthly standings as the player who was nominated star by the most times by visitors to our website.

The ex-Darlington centre-back has also closed the gap on Press Player of the Year leader Martyn Woolford to three points (see panel right).

Stuart Elliott (two) and Lloyd (one) were the other point winners as our second and third-highest rated players at Rushden.

To be in with a chance of presenting this month's Player of the Month award, vote for your man of the match for any of City's forthcoming games here>>

Raise glass in Aimson's memory

YORK City legend Paul Aimson's memory will be honoured at next month's Bootham Crescent Beer Festival.

The event, which has been switched from Saturday, March 15 to Sunday, April 6, will feature a specially-brewed Aimson's Ale as a tribute to the well-loved striker who was fond of a pint himself and scored 113 goals during two spells with the Minstermen in the 1960s and 1970s.

A Crescent Ale will also be brewed for the festival to mark the club's 75 seasons at their current home.

Yorkshire breweries Brown Cow (Selby), Glentworth (Doncaster), York Brewery, Abbeydale (Sheffield), Wensleydale, Elland and Acorn (Barnsley) will all be serving beers along with Bushy's Brewery from the Isle of Man.

Entry to the festival costs £7.50, which includes two pints, food and music from local band Blind Alley and Gary Quinn.

All profits will go towards City's Centre of Excellence, with special commemorative T-shirts and pint glasses also helping to raise funds, along with entry into quizzes and raffles.

Tickets can be bought from Bootham Crescent in the club shop (on non-match days) and the lottery office (on match days). They can also be obtained by post if you send a self-addressed envelope and a cheque, payable to York Minstermen, to York Minstermen, York City, Bootham Crescent, York, YO30 7AQ.