Manager: Alan Little

Stadium: Roots Hall

Capacity: 12,306

Last Season: 16th

Comings and goings

Out : Simon Coleman (Rochdale, free) Mark Beard (Kingstonian, free), Nathan Jones (Brighton, free),

In: Damon Searle (Carlisle, free), defender Phil Whelan (Oxford, free), midfielder Scott Forbes (Saffron Walden Town)

One to watch: Striker Martin Carruthers' 19 goals caused gasps of amazement amongst the Bootham Crescent faithful. The former Aston Villa striker suffered a severe drought in front of goal during an unsuccessful loan spell at City the season before last but finally found his shooting boots at Roots Hall. Finished as the division's second top scorer and without them, United would have been staring at the abyss for a second suc-cessive season.

Odds: Another club troubled by off-field upheaval. Only last month, the Shrimpers avoided a High Court winding up order by settling a debt of £400,000 owed to the Inland Revenue at the 11th hour. The club's owners, Delancey, are also in dispute with popular chairman John Main and the wrangling is already having an effect on the players - promising defender Leo Roget reportedly stalling on signing a new contract until the club's financial problems are settled.

Under such circumstances a mid-table finish would be deemed a success. However, former York City chief Alan Little was given the benefit of the doubt last year after saving the Shrimpers from the dreaded drop the season before. But 16th position will not be good enough again for a club with lofty ambitions despite a lack of cash to splash

Little will have to make do and mend or else.

But at least in Carruthers he has a proven goalscorer and with Neil Tolson recovered from a hernia operation the pair have the potential to shoot the Shrimpers further up the table.