DAVID WEBB takes charge as York City manager for the first time for Saturday’s trip to Woking (3pm).

There are a hefty 15 places and 15 points between third-placed Woking and 18th-placed York heading into the Vanarama National League clash at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.

The form guide makes grim reading for Webb as does the historical precedent of managers taking charge of their first matches at York.

Of the last 10 permanent managerial spells at City, only one victory has been secured on their maiden fixture at the helm.

Here we take a look at the past five Minstermen managers to see how they fared when kicking off their reign as boss.

John Askey

Given all the success that Askey would later enjoy, it is easy to forget that his spell in charge began slowly, kicking off with a 2-1 home defeat to Kettering Town in November of last year.

Twice inside the first half-hour York failed to properly clear the ball and twice they were punished, first through Connor Kennedy and then by Gerry McDonagh.

Sean Newton replied from the penalty spot but was unable to spark a City comeback.

Of the 13 players that featured against Kettering, only six were involved in the 2-0 National League North play-off final win over Boston in May.

Steve Watson

Taking over in January 2019, Watson could scarcely have been handed a sterner test first up.

A trip to that season’s eventual champions Stockport County ended in a 3-1 defeat for City.

A Matty Warburton hat-trick inspired the home side’s victory, with Alex Kempster offering York's sole reply.

While County would go on to lift the title, the Minstermen ended the season in 12th, their lowest finish in five seasons at National League North level.

Sam Collins

The last York manager to not begin with a defeat was Collins, whose spell started with a 0-0 draw at Brackley Town in August 2018.

Like Watson, he was given a challenging opener, with the visit to St James Park pitting his side against the previous season’s beaten play-off finalists in the National League North.

In the end, a goalless draw proved a creditable point on the road for City.

After a little over three months in charge, a run of two wins in eight matches saw Collins dismissed in January of the following year.

Martin Gray

Very much the anomaly among recent York managers, Gray’s reign got underway with a 2-1 home win over Brackley in October 2017.

A late Jon Parkin free-kick gave City the three points after Aaron Williams had responded to the striker's first-half header.

In their first season in the National League North, York finished 11th under Gray. He left five matches into the following campaign after managing only two wins.

Gary Mills (second spell)

Returning to York after a joyous first spell, Mills was unable to kickstart his second reign with a bang.

City were dumped out of the FA Cup by the competition's lowest ranked club, Curzon Ashton, going down 2-1 in October 2016.

Richard Brodie had put York ahead after just five minutes but Alex Brown and Niall Cummins struck either side of half time, the latter from the penalty spot.

In a nightmare season for City, they were relegated for the second straight season, falling into the National League North. Mills was dismissed two months into the next term.