York City played their first home match on Saturday since the club went up for sale. Janet Hewison spoke to some of the fans at the game

IT WAS only after weeks of begging from her five-year-old son that Jane Blythe finally made her first trip to York City's Bootham Crescent ground seven years ago.

Guy, now 12, used to stand in the garden of their home off Water Lane, Clifton, listening to the sound of the crowd on Saturday afternoons and said what he most wanted to do was to see his local team play.

"When I came to my first match here I didn't know where I was going and I was terrified," said Jane, who finally gave in.

"I brought a Star Trek book in case I got bored. I thought it would be full of aggressive men but it's not like that at all, it's so friendly, it's such a family club. City won that day - which helped - and I've been coming ever since. I just enjoy the football."

Today Jane is a season ticket holder, sitting in the same seats in the family stand at every home game with her mum, Pam, and Guy (unless he is on ball boy duties) and she was there for Saturday's match against Shrewsbury Town.

Like the other fans shivering through the icy winter afternoon, she and Pam alternately cheered on and chivvied the players, leaping out of their seats for City's equaliser and yelling in outrage for a Shrewsbury player to be sent off when he kicked out at one of City's near the end.

And like thousands of other fans, young and old, she cares passionately about the future of the club.

"The club has got to be saved. They need a completely new board, which they're going to get whatever happens. In the end this might be a good thing for City. They need young blood in there and I think they need more women," she said.

Among the longer-standing supporters, lifelong fan Billy Rawcliffe, 43, of Burton Stone Lane, said he spoke for many when he said he wanted questions answering by City chairman Douglas Craig about how the club had got into such a dire financial situation.

"Where has all the money gone? Look at all the other football clubs that are struggling - Halifax Town aren't in as much trouble as we are here. Why? It's happened overnight and now we've got less than 17 days to do something about it.

"People love this club, but lots of fans are not coming to games because they're so angry with the shareholders."

There were fewer than 2,500 fans there on Saturday in a ground that could hold more than 8,000 and another lifelong fan, Reg Frost, 85, of Avenue Terrace, called on more supporters to turn out.

"People should come and support the club. They have bad and good matches in all seasons but I've never stopped coming," he said.

One fixture which looks certain to get a good crowd will be next Monday's public meeting for fans, which has been set up to look at the best way forward.

It is set to be a heated one, because so many people care so much about their club and their team.

As Jane said: "If I won the Lottery tonight I'd buy the club myself."

Updated: 10:24 Monday, December 31, 2001