York City boss Billy McEwan is adamant that his Nationwide Conference Manager of the Month award will not curse his team at Altrincham tomorrow.

The Minstermen will travel to Moss Lane after four straight victories in February and McEwan rubbished suggestions that his accolade could jinx the team in Cheshire.

McEwan has also dedicated his award to everybody connected with the club.

He said: "I won five Manager of the Month awards and finished up as Manager of the Year at Rotherham in 1989. We went 18 games unbeaten and won the title so I don't believe in all that jinx talk.

"I think the award is a big thing for the club as well as myself. It's the reward for all the hard work that's been put in by the players and everybody.

"I would not have won it without my groundsman, laundry women, office staff, players, board and fans. I just hope it's the start of better times ahead for York City Football Club."

McEwan is now due to be presented with a magnum of champagne at next Saturday's home match with Gravesend and Northfleet but insisted the corks would not be popping before the end of the season.

He said: "I will share it with the players when the time is right because we still have 11 games to go."

McEwan will be hoping his City side can become the club's first team since Denis Smith's 1983-84 fourth division champions to win five straight league games at Altrincham but the former Sheffield United manager put his team's run into context when he cited the achievements of runaway Championship leaders Reading this season.

The Royals enjoyed a 33-match unbeaten league run before recently losing at Luton and McEwan said: "When we start to string together a run like Steve Coppell has done there then we can start talking about what we have achieved. We have only won four games, that's nothing."

McEwan will also not be under-estimating Altrincham tomorrow despite the Minstermen's 5-0 victory over Graham Heathcote's men in September.

He said: "They have got stronger and are a lot better than they were at the start of the season. It was a big thing for them coming up into the Conference but they have acquitted themselves well in the last few months and thrashed Aldershot 5-1."

McEwan will be forced into one change with captain Mark Hotte likely to earn a recall in place of James Dudgeon, who will be serving a one-match ban.

The City boss added that the club will only talk about playing contracts for next season at the end of the current campaign.

He said: "We're not in a position as a club where we can offer contract extensions in February like some of the bigger boys might do. We also don't know what league we will be in at the moment."

Updated: 10:44 Friday, March 03, 2006