Chris Dunlavy: Race is on for the king of York, Stuart Maynard

With great difficulty, as Scott Lindsey discovered on Monday night.

The former Crawley Town boss must have known he was doomed the second he agreed to replace Stuart Maynard, whose shock dismissal two weeks ago was met with almost universal disgust by York supporters.

That Lindsey arrived a mere 24 hours after Maynard departed only deepened the sense of betrayal.

Patience

York’s owners, the Uggla family, pleaded for patience.

“We understand that not everyone will agree with, or fully understand, this decision right away,” said a statement.

“But we hope our track record of improving year on year has earned us a degree of trust.”

It didn’t.

As the Minstermen slipped to a limp 2-0 defeat at home to Lindsey’s old side in the preliminary rounds of the Carabao Cup, the LNER reverberated to the sound of supporters singing “Stuart Maynard’s Barmy Army” and “We Want Maynard back”.

Under the circumstances, you might have expected Lindsey to play the diplomat. To pour oil on troubled waters.

Instead, he fanned the flames.

“I actually don’t care,” Lindsey snapped. “I am so thick-skinned that I will never let that get through to me.

“If I did, I wouldn’t be able to do the job I’m here to do. I obviously have to win them, the fans, over, but I’m not going to go over at the end for them to mug me off.”

TROPHY TIME: Stuart Maynard celebrates winning the National League with York City last season.
PICTURE: Alamy

Records

The whole debacle is an object lesson in how to squander the momentum and optimism generated by promotion.

If the Ugglas have any sense at all, Maynard will be rehired and harmony restored.

Right now, though, there’s a brief window for any ambitious National League club to hire one of the hottest managerial properties in the business.

For all of York’s wealth and the obvious quality in their squad, Maynard’s achievements at the LNER should not be underestimated.

The Minstermen clocked up 108 points last season, and scored 114 goals. Both were all-time club records.

He did it without a pre-season to instill his ideas or a summer window to sign his own players, having replaced Adam Hinshelwood four games into the season.

Hinshelwood was a popular and a successful figure, and Maynard’s success is presumably why the Ugglas have rolled the dice again.

Yet tact, skilful communication and early results are required to usurp a terrace hero.

Feelers

Maynard navigated that tricky path far more deftly than Lindsey and his classy parting statement – praising supporters, thanking the owners, reliving a memorable final day – only served to reinforce the impression of a savvy operator.

On the pitch, his team were entertaining and offensive. There were tactical innovations, too, like the reinvention of striker Ollie Pearce as a deadly roving No.10.

Would Maynard return to a division he worked so hard to escape? Who knows. He may believe a League Two post is merited.

But whilst the 45-year-old remains on the market, you can bet your mortgage that every National League club who can afford his salary will be putting out tentative feelers.

If you are Rob Elliot at Carlisle, or Lee Clark at Hartlepool, or even Robbie Savage at Forest Green, the shadow of Maynard will loom over every dropped point, every bad result and every dodgy run of form.

Besides stellar results, the best hope for all of them is that Maynard is restored to his rightful place at the LNER.

Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before somebody in a boardroom gets twitchy and throws their chequebook at the deposed king of York.