YORK City have already received a number of "very credible applications" for their vacant managerial role - with managing director Steve Kilmartin saying several names in the running would be "well-received by the fan base".

Sam Collins became the second boss to be sacked by the Minstermen this season following the defeat at minnows Curzon Ashton on Saturday which left the team 15th in National League North.

Sporting director Dave Penney - who won back-to-back promotions when in charge of Doncaster in 2003 and 2004 and also managed Bristol Rovers, Darlington and Oldham - will take training this week but he has ruled himself out of the job long-term, just like he did before Collins was appointed following the departure of Martin Gray in mid-August.

Kilmartin says a shortlist is being drawn up with interviews to take place before the week is out.

City have no game on Saturday and are next in action away to fellow former Football League stalwarts Stockport County on January 19.

"There are already a number of applications and there are some very credible applications," Kilmartin told The Press.

"We have had a considerable flurry of people interested in this position because of it being York City, which in many ways is extremely reassuring.

"We are preparing a list with the intention of interviewing some of these people later in the week.

"Things are moving forward quickly.

"There are names in there that would be well-received by the fan base, by people who do follow football."

He added: "We have Stockport a week on Saturday and we would like to make an appointment before then if possible.

"There are people getting in touch all the time. There are one or two names in there that I recognised straight away and I will be interested in what they have to say and what their hopes and ambitions are for the football club."

Kilmartin would not say if any applications had come from managers with Football League experience or who are currently in employment.

"We've had applications from a number of different individuals at different stages of their careers in different levels in the football hierarchy," he said.

"We may have our own ideas of the person we think is the right person to take us out of the sixth division.

"It's just a great shame from my perspective that Sam Collins did not manage to do that, as he was a thoroughly decent man and I liked working with him."

Kilmartin stressed the club had nobody lined up to take the job before axing Collins on Saturday night.

"There has been no interviews, no contact, nothing, beforehand," he said. "We (the board) talked between ourselves but nothing more than that.

"There is nobody that has been interviewed at this time.

"The decision was taken on Saturday evening. I won't say it had not been discussed before, because that would be untrue. The football was not working out as we intended or hoped. We were prepared to make the decision that was necessary on Saturday evening. In truth the decision made itself."

Kilmartin also confirmed the club had not officially advertised the job and would not be doing so.

He explained: "There has been sufficient interest of people with sufficient credibility for us to not have to go down that route.

"This will also help us to move with the speed we think is appropriate and to get the right quality of candidate."