AN ANXIOUS wait for the Supporters' Trust ended this afternoon with the news the Football League has given the fans' take-over of York City the green-light.

Endorsement from the League's bigwigs was the last piece in the jigsaw required by the supporters' body to all but seal their historic taking control of the Minstermen.

Although the Trust have been running the club for almost a month, the club's membership of the Football League had, in effect, been suspended.

The board of the League met yesterday to discuss transferring membership from the old, debt-ridden York City to the new company set up to replace it by the Trust.

Without the transfer, the club faced losing its Football League status meaning all the Trust's hard work of the past 15 months would have been in vain and dreams of fan-owned club would have been left in tatters.

After a nervous wait this morning for an announcement from the League, the Trust were informed mid-afternoon that the game's top brass had given their seal of approval.

However, even with the League rubber stamping the Trust's rescue package, the transfer of membership is only conditional.

A number of League requirements will still have to be satisfied, the majority of which are described as "relatively standard matters".

Certain conditions relate to the relocation of the club to a redeveloped Huntington Stadium and the required security of tenure.

Although the City of York Council has agreed to provide the club with a ten year lease to play at the ground, it is understood no formal agreement has yet been signed.

However, meetings and communications between the Trust and the Football League had been taking place for several weeks in a bid to satisfy any League concerns ahead of yesterday's meeting.

Significantly, with the League agreeing to the membership transfer, some substantial monies held back by the League while the club was in administration will now be released to City.

The issues relating to the transfer of League membership will be just one of many areas to be covered at the fans meeting called by the Trust for this Friday.

Tickets are still available for the meeting being organised by the Trust at the Tempest Anderson Hall in Museum Gardens, York.

The event will focus on the events of recent months that culminated in the Trust's rescue package that saved City from extinction.

Tickets, priced £2 to cover costs, are on sale from the Bootham Crescent club shop.

There are still plenty of tickets remaining and although supporters are encouraged to purchase a ticket before Friday, entrance to the event will be available on the evening while seats remain available.

Doors will open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start and the event is expected to last up to a couple of hours.

City meanwhile dropped down a place in the Division Three table to ninth last night after play-off rivals Lincoln City and Cambridge United shared a scoreless stalemate.

More than 4,000 fans at the Abbey Stadium witnessed a 0-0 draw which was enough to leapfrog the Imps above City and into eighth place.However, while City remain in ninth place on 66 points, the Minstermen are just one point behind Bury in fifth position with two League games left to play.

Last night's draw virtually ended Cambridge's top-seven hopes as they are now five points away from the play-offs with just two games left.

Updated: 15:01 Wednesday, April 23, 2003