THE sight of York City fans lining up to buy match tickets is not that unusual.

In recent years, City clinched a series of glamorous cup ties against Premiership opposition which saw fans queuing round the block.

But this time, there is no cup fever. Supporters have been motivated to storm the Bootham Crescent sales office by something altogether different: the chance to save money.

In a characteristically bold move, club chairman John Batchelor has slashed the price of a 2003/2004 season ticket by half. This shows a canny understanding of how to appeal to Yorkshire sports fans' hearts - and wallets.

The response has been heartening. Mr Batchelor estimates that around 1,600 will have been sold by the end of today.

This proves that there is continuing demand in York for a professional football club. It would have been a sorry sign for the future of City if such a remarkable discount had prompted little interest.

It also demonstrates how far the club has come. A little under a year ago, York City played Swansea in front of their lowest league crowd last season: 1,840. Now Mr Batchelor has secured nearly as many season ticket holders for the whole of next season.

He is building a fan base upon the goodwill he has generated since taking over the club. It would be a timely gesture for Mr Batchelor to now fulfil his pledge to grant two members of the Supporters' Trust a place on the board. That would allow fans a long-overdue chance to influence club policy.

The decision to slash prices in half is not only bold, but risky. Mr Batchelor is betting against the future by harvesting next year's season ticket receipts now.

His plan is to underwrite the loss by attracting sponsorship, using a tactic well known from his other sporting passion, motor racing.

If it works, he will be on the way to proving that it is possible to turn a lower league football club into a semi-profitable business.

Updated: 10:26 Tuesday, October 01, 2002