YORK City travel to Alfreton Town this afternoon hoping to end a desperate run of EIGHT consecutive away league defeats.

But that number still falls three short of the club’s sorriest sequence on the road, which was endured 93 years ago during the Midland League era.

Back then, on a losing away streak that straddled the 1925/26 and 1926/27 campaigns, the Minstermen went down in 11 straight fixtures against Wombwell Town (0-4), Grantham (1-3), Mansfield Town (1-5), Frickley Colliery (1-2), Denaby United (1-5), Lincoln City reserves (1-6), Ilkeston United (1-2), Sutton Town (1-6), Alfreton Town (1-3), Ilkeston United (2-3) and Shirebrook (1-4).

The current string of setbacks, meanwhile, is also two fewer that the club’s post-Midland League record number of ten.

That was endured by legendary boss Tom Johnston’s 1968/69 squad, which surprisingly boasted the likes of Ted MacDougall, Phil Boyer, Barry Jackson, Chris Topping, Phil Burrows, Andy Provan and Mike Walker.

MacDougall even ended the campaign with 25 goals for a side that would ultimately finish the season fourth-bottom of the Football League above Newport, Grimsby and Bradford Park Avenue.

The travel-sick City side lost all of the final ten fixtures on their travels that season, which was in marked contrast to the eight wins, one draw and one defeat that concluded their home programme.

Johnston’s double-figured disappointments encompassed trips to Doncaster (1-2), Swansea (1-2), Peterborough (1-2), Bradford Park Avenue (0-1), Rochdale (1-2), Exeter (0-5), Wrexham (1-2), Scunthorpe (1-2), Darlington (2-3) and Workington (0-2), before the first day of the following season witnessed a 2-1 triumph at Newport.

This term’s team, meanwhile, have gone down to Telford (1-2), Spennymoor (0-3), Altrincham (0-3), Boston (0-2), Darlington (1-5), Blyth (1-2), Curzon Ashton (0-1) and Stockport (1-3) in the regionalised realms of sixth-tier football and, after today’s visit to Alfreton, will then visit Kidderminster, Leamington and FC United of Manchester as they look to avoid joining their 1920s’ Midland League predecessors in the history books.

The current series of away setbacks is the longest since Jackie McNamara, who failed to win a single contest during 11 miserable months on the road as manager, also presided over eight fruitless journeys on the spin in 2016.

Three teams in the club’s history, meanwhile, have racked up nine.

The last occasion encompassed the final weeks of managerial hero Denis Smith’s reign before he left for Sunderland in 1987 and the start of Bobby Saxton’s ill-fated tenure.

Tom Lockie’s squad that went straight back down to the old fourth division in 1966 after winning promotion a season earlier were another to achieve the unenviable feat, as did the side that straddled the 1948/49 and 1949/50 campaigns under Tom Mitchell.

York City’s worst-ever runs of consecutive league defeats: 11 – 1925/26-26/27; 10 - 1968/69; 9 - 1986/87-87/88, 1965/66, 1948/49-49/50; 8 - 2018/19, 2015/16, 1987/88, 1981/82, 1963/64, 1938/39.

JAKE Wright has won The Press Player of the Month award for January.

The former Harrogate Town striker finished one point ahead of nearest rival Alex Kempster.

Jordan Burrow finished third in the standings after collecting three points as our man of the match during last weekend’s 4-1 home defeat to Chorley.

The other Press points against Chorley went to Scott Burgess (two) and David Ferguson (one) as our second and third-highest rated players respectively.

Kempster received the two bonus points on offer to the player who topped our online man-of-the-match poll.

The Press Player of the Year standings: Bartlett 26, Burrow 22, Griffiths 21, Wright 14, Moke 11, Ferguson 9, Heslop 9, Penn 9, Tait 9, Bray 8, Newton 7, Parkin 6, York 6, Langstaff 5, Allan 4, Davis 4, Agnew 3, Bencherif 3, Digie 3, Dyer 3, Harris 3, Kempster 3, Burgess 2, Hawkins 2, Law 2, McAughtrie 1, Parslow 1.

The Press Player of the Month standings for January: Wright 8, Kempster 7, Burrow 5, Agnew 3, Bencherif 3, Burgess 2, Ferguson 2, Griffiths 2.

Goals: Burrow 14, Langstaff 5, Wright 5, Newton 3, Parkin 3, Bencherif 2, Ferguson 2, Harris 2, Moke 2, Tait 2, York 2, Bray 1, Hawkins 1, Heslop 1, Kempster 1.

Assists: Burrow 7, Harris 5, Ferguson 4, Langstaff 4, Law 4, Parkin 3, Bray 3, Wright 3, Bartlett 2, Griffiths 2, Allan 1, Agnew 1, Digie 1, Dyer 1, Hawkins 1, Heslop 1, Newton 1, Tait 1, York 1.

Discipline: Wright eight yellow cards; Heslop seven yellow; Newton five yellow; Bencherif, Griffiths both four yellow; Tait one red, two yellow; Davis, Moke both three yellow; Law two yellow; Penn one red, one yellow; Bray one red; Allan, Ferguson, Hawkins, Kempster, Langstaff, McAughtrie, York all one yellow.