As Jackie McNamara spoke to journalists after York City’s 1-1 draw at Braintree Town on Saturday the visitors’ chairman, Jason McGill, could be seen leaning on a wall behind the Scot and staring at his phone. Watching on, the thought crossed the mind that he may well have been inspecting applications for the manager’s job just as the incumbent was suggesting he may yet stay in the post.
A crazy prospect but these are crazy times at York as they struggle near the bottom of the National League and only two people really know what will happen next: McNamara and McGill. The pair spoke about the former’s future on the coach journey home from Essex and it is now a case of waiting for an official statement. York supporters can only hope it is more definite than the one they read last Wednesday.
Delivered after the 6-1 defeat at bottom-placed Guiseley the previous evening, it stated McNamara would resign as manager if the team failed “to gain a positive result at Braintree”. A highly unusual step, it led to more questions than answers: what constitutes a “positive result”? A win? Would a draw do? And what if York lost 5-1? After all, that’s more positive than 6-1.
Having confirmed it was his idea to issue the ultimatum, McNamara said the intention was to provoke a reaction from his players, and he certainly got that. The visitors delivered a hard-working display here against fellow National League strugglers and appeared on course for what would have been a first away win in 30 matches following Simon Heslop’s fifth-minute strike, only to be denied when Braintree were awarded an 89th-minute penalty. Lee Barnard converted it in resounding fashion.
McNamara looked on passively as the majority of the 728 spectators celebrated and afterwards came little sense that the preceding 90 minutes had been the positive result he had been hoping for. “I’ve got a lot of thinking to do. I need to speak to the chairman first, that’s the most important person to speak to,” said McNamara, as McGill lurked in earshot.
The manager went on to admit that “results on the pitch haven’t been good enough” which, quite frankly, is an understatement. McNamara arrived at York last November with the brief of keeping the club in League Two but they finished bottom, having won just five times. This campaign started with McNamara signing 20 players with the intention of galvanising his squad for life outside the Football League, only for York to lose eight of their opening 14 fixtures before Saturday, with the hammering by Guiseley the undoubted low point, given the opposition began the game at the foot of the table.
McNamara was also fined about £500 last month for not having a valid train ticket as he travelled from his family home in Edinburgh and has fallen out with the local newspaper, The Press, partly because of their reporting of the incident. Little wonder the majority of York supporters have had enough of the former Celtic and Scotland full-back. As the comedian and York fan Richard Herring put it: “Even Jeremy Corbyn can’t believe Jackie McNamara hasn’t quit.”
The 42-year-old did actually tender his resignation after the Guiseley game only to be persuaded by McGill to carry on. Partly this was because of the chairman’s admiration for McNamara but also so he could start gathering applications from potential successors without having to make an immediate appointment. To quote Mark Twain, truth is stranger than fiction.
So instead came the statement and a performance against Braintree that suggests the players at least want McNamara to stay. They weren’t great and were indebted to their goalkeeper, Kyle Letheren, for keeping them ahead for so long in what was a dreadful contest – the 28-year-old made two double saves and stopped Sim Akinola’s 11th-minute penalty before being beaten by Barnard – but their commitment to the cause was undeniable. The question now is whether McNamara will still be around come Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round qualifying tie home to Curzon Ashton.
“A few people have probably seen this result today and decided to send their CVs in, I know a few have already,” McNamara said after a point that lifted York one place to 19th. “That’s part and parcel of this industry and being a manager can be tough. But I love football, it’s been a big part of my life, so we’ll see what happens.”
Talking points, by Nick Miller
• A momentous day for AFC Wimbledon. A little over 14 years since a group of disaffected fans established the club and 12 since a league game was first played in Milton Keynes, the soul of the old club is above the shell of it in the league. Sunday’s 3-1 win over Oxford United put AFC one point and two places ahead of MK Dons in the League One table, causing much glee among their supporters. Not that manager Neil Ardley was going overboard, preferring to focus on surviving in the division. “I won’t look at the league,” said Ardley. “I’ll let our fans enjoy that. It’s about getting to 50 points and then taking stock.” The first ever league meeting between the two sides [they’ve already faced each other in the FA Cup] comes on December 10. Should be spicy.
• Bradford City’s quietly excellent start to the season continues. The Bantams have been out of the top two divisions since being relegated from Division One (now the Championship) in 2004, and efforts to return there have ended in various forms of frustration and calamity. Now, with Phil Parkinson having left for Bolton in the summer and club hero Stuart McCall returning to have a second crack at managing the side, things are looking good. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury, sealed with a 96th minute Haris Vuckic penalty, extended their unbeaten start to the season, cemented their place in the automatic promotion places and put them one point behind leaders Scunthorpe. McCall’s first spell at Valley Parade was broadly a disappointment, but round two looks more promising.
• Hats off to Plymouth Argyle defender Sonny Bradley for keeping things interesting on Saturday. Bradley scored three goals on the Pilgrims’ 2-1 win over Stevenage: two at the right end, and one at the wrong, then completed his afternoon with a flourish by getting booked for dissent. “I didn’t even see it go in,” said Bradley of his first. Insouciant. Stevenage boss Darren Sarll wasn’t quite so pleased with life, though. “That’s why we’re in League Two, the players are in League Two and that’s why I’m the manager of a League Two side,” he said, complaints ranging from his side’s passing to their marking at set-pieces. “When people aren’t doing their job it makes it very difficult for me to come here and defend it,” he continued, “and sit here and be the big man that screens people who keep making mistakes week in, week out.” Ouch.
• There was no Championship action on the pitch over the weekend, but Derby chose the start of England’s game against Malta to try burying shambolic news. Manager Nigel Pearson has been away from the club for the best part of a fortnight after being suspended, following what we’ll call a ‘forthright disagreement’ with chairman Mel Morris. And Derby confirmed the inevitable on Saturday, Pearson’s short but rocky tenure officially brought to an end, winning just one of his nine games in charge. “The speculation in some areas of the media has not made the separation a smooth one,” said Pearson in a statement, making it two East Midlands clubs in a little over a year that he has left under a cloud. Derby said they will now concentrate on looking for a replacement, but caretaker Chris Powell will remain in charge for the foreseeable future.
