IT ALL looked so different in the dark days of January. York City faced extinction.

A proud football club seemed to be in danger of slipping into oblivion. But this gloomy scenario overlooked the one asset no football club can be without: its fans.

A meeting was called to rally support, organised by the Evening Press and fans. Some 300 worried fans crammed into Tempest Anderson Hall, while another 120 were unable to get in and had to wait outside in the cold. The excluded supporters held an impromptu meeting and then, in the words of our report the following day, "moved to a nearby pub".

There might not have been much to celebrate that night but there certainly is now. York City Supporters' Trust, which was set up at that packed meeting in January, has been hailed as one of the best of its kind. Only eight months after being initiated, the trust has been highly commended in the Trust Of The Season awards.

This really is an astonishing achievement for a body that did not even exist a year ago.

After the shocking news broke in late December that City could be about to fold, fans rallied to the cause, and following that emotional first meeting, they strove to make sure that the unthinkable did not happen.

The picture today is much rosier. The supporters' trust has been a dynamo of loyalty and its faith has been repaid. John Batchelor swept in as chairman and new owner of the club, and now York City is riding near to the top of the Third Division.

Their success is a shining example of why supporters are so important to a club. Without the faith of its fans, York City would not even exist today. The supporters' trust has done an enormous amount of work and continues to battle for the club.

Throughout all this, the Evening Press has been proud to play its part with our Save City campaign. City was saved and now the supporters' trust has a fantastic new achievement to its name.

Updated: 12:42 Friday, September 13, 2002