 In November 2004 , Brass was sacked after a home defeat to Forest Green Rovers , which left York fourth from the bottom of the table . His assistant Viv Busby took over as caretaker manager before former Derby County coach Billy McEwan was appointed in February 2005 . Under McEwan , York avoided relegation into the Conference North , with a seventeenth @-@ place finish in 2004 – 05 . One @-@ third into 2005 – 06 , York were in second place but poor mid @-@ season results saw them slide down the table . They pushed for the play @-@ offs after six consecutive wins but finished in eighth place after faltering in the run @-@ in . With twenty @-@ two goals , Andy Bishop was the Conference National top scorer in 2005 – 06 . Financial problems arose again ; a loss of £ 150 @,@ 000 was reported for the season , and there were problems meeting the first annual payment of £ 100 @,@ 000 to the FSIF . McGill 's company JM Packaging made a proposal to the ST to become majority shareholders , and would lend the club £ 650 @,@ 000 to cover the current losses and meet the loan repayments for the next five years . ST members approved the proposal in June 2006 , and JM Packaging became seventy @-@ five percent shareholders , reducing the ST 's previous eighty @-@ five percent ownership to twenty @-@ five percent . York made a good start to 2006 – 07 , and were never out of the top five from early @-@ November 2006 . They finished the season in fourth place and played Morecambe in the play @-@ off semi @-@ final ; after drawing 0 – 0 at home in the first leg they were beaten 2 – 1 at Christie Park in the second leg . 
