Once a club not only firmly set in the Football League for 75 years, but in the second division of old for a couple of seasons. Even when the new football pyramid came into place League 2 seemed a certainty. However relegation into Non-League football in 2004, changed the clubs fortunes for years to come.

The current situation looks bleak, at the time I am writing this, sitting second bottom of the National League. With only three wins this season, the hopes of getting promotion back to the football league at the first time of asking have been scattered.

To reflect on what has gone wrong at the club you first have to see how the Minstermen got into the position they are now. That starts with last season.

Russ Wilcox started off the season and I believe rightly so received some of the blame for relegation, despite being sacked in October. The signings he made were simply not good enough for the job of staying in the league and did not strengthen the squad from the previous year. Only one signing was paid for with the rest of free due to being released from their clubs. Players such as Scott Flinders, who have had maybe a handful of good games in a York shirt and has been out of favour this year with both Jackie McNamara and Gary Mills. Others: Vadaine Oliver, George Swan, Eddie Nolan and Taron Hare never really performed for the club.

The appointment of  Jackie McNamara was, at the time, I thought a much better choice than Wilcox had been previously. His own football career was reasonably impressive and had done a satisfactory job at Dundee United.

However the results and performances did not improve, even with January and a chance to make his own mark on the team the slide down the league continued. Even with around 13 loan signings since Wilcox’s departure the same problem of conceding goals late on has seemed to be York’s downfall, while simply not scoring enough at other end.

This sent City on path to relegation ending up bottom of the Football League with seven wins and only one away from home.

Despite returning to non league football after four years, I thought keeping McNamara on as manager was a reasonable choice. For the reason that the same old excuse of not having enough time or transfer markets to make his own stamp on the club was a relevant one. How I was wrong.

Three wins in his opening 16 games was a clear signal it was not working. The signings made were once again unsuccessful. The risky strategy of getting players from low league clubs and turning them professional and demonstrated the gap between the levels. Defender Jack Higgins from Stalybridge Celtic and Kaine Felix from Boston United didn’t successfully bridge the gap. Other signings, seen as more promising, Scott Fenwick and Richard Brodie were unconvincing with inconsistent performances.  Yet despite the players display equally as concerning for fans was the simple formation chosen. A 3-5-2 seemed to be set out regularly. My thoughts were it might work for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea with world class individuals but not at non league level.

The whole way McNamara’s expected departure came about put the club into further embarrassment and dismay. After the former Celtic defender was given a game to decided his future, then sacked then kept on for a game until a replacement was found, before finally being appointed chief executive at the club.

Gary Mills was a welcome choice for the fans after his promotion managing the club and winning the FA Trophy. Yet results have still yet to change. The same old story seems to come to mine especially after the most recent game against Guiseley, conceding with five minutes to go. The same thing happened in recent games against Chester and Sutton United.

Looking forward games come thick and fast and York’s performances seem to change game to game. Mills, in my opinion, is the right man to survive the obvious relegation battle City are in.