CLUB historian Dave Batters insisted that "Bootham Crescent will always be Bootham Crescent" after learning that York City's 73-year-old home is to be renamed KitKat Crescent.

Batters admitted sadness at the name change but was also pleased that his former employers Nestl Rowntree have donated £100,000 to complete the £2.1million deal which has transferred the ownership of the ground back to the football club.

He said: "My initial reaction to KitKat Crescent is 'dear me' and I don't like it. To me, Bootham Crescent will always be Bootham Crescent.

"The name is steeped in 70 or 80 years of history and has got a nice ring to it It's also synonymous with a lot of happy memories of big cup ties.

"I feel a lot of sadness about the name change but it's a sign of the times, I suppose, when the sponsors call the tunes. Even cricket's Oval has become the Foster's Lager ground.

"Yorkie Crescent would not have been brilliant but it would have been better. I'm a traditionalist but I am glad my old company are helping and I can appreciate the circumstances."

Friends of Bootham Crescent, who campaigned hard against former chairman Douglas Craig's proposal to move the club out of its home, expressed disappointment at the name change.

Spokesman David Allison said: "It's very disappointing to lose the name of the ground and some supporters might feel that the name is a little bit comical. But it's important to remember how few options the club have and we should probably be thankful that the ground issue has been resolved and not what it's name is going to be."

A spokesmen for the Supporters' Trust welcomed the news, saying: "Financially, this is a very important deal for York City and at a very challenging time. In particular, we welcome the support from a major local business and we hope that others can also support their community club."

The Supporters' Club also welcomed the announcement with spokesman Andy Heppell pointing out that moving forward on the pitch was more crucial than what the stadium is called.

He said: "It's good news as long as we are still at Bootham Crescent and it enables us to stay there, build the team up and get back into the Football League where we belong. That's the most important issue."

York City Knights, who normally play at Huntington Stadium, have twice staged home games at Bootham Crescent in the last 12 months.

Chief executive Steve Ferres backed the stadium sponsorship idea but said it was something the Knights might struggle to secure themselves as City of York Council owns their ground.

"I'm delighted for them. At the end of the day, Nestl are a high profile company and KitKat is a very big image brand," he said. "If it's what is right for York City and for Nestl then fantastic.

"Naming rights are always an option, but obviously to do something like that you would need to own the stadium. I would think it would be very difficult for us to achieve naming rights for a stadium that's not ours.

"We haven't looked at this option but it's something we may explore at some stage.

"All credit to York City, I'm delighted they've secured a local company with an international name."

Updated: 10:28 Wednesday, January 19, 2005