Cod Almighty | Article
by Baz Rockliff
1 July 2010
Well, hello there, York City. Let's talk about you.
Remember 1 May 2004? If you don't, it was the day some wizardry from Graham Hockless provided Isaiah Rankin with the opportunity to extend our miserable third-tier lives for seven more days. York City fans will remember it as the day that saw the confirmation of their Football League exit.
The club's final years in the Football League were more concentrated on survival off the pitch than on it though. Firstly, chairman Douglas Craig (one of the three-man panel that approved Wimbledon FC's relocation to Milton Keynes) transferred the ownership of Bootham Crescent to his own holding company in June 2000 before threatening to resign the club from the Football League in January 2002. A supporters' trust was quickly formed and fans demonstrated before, during and after matches. Enter John Batchelor, a touring car boss, who bought the club (but not the ground) in March that year with big ideas and an even bigger mouth. Batchelor's plans to 'rebrand' the Minstermen as York City Soccer Club and to place a chequered flag on the sleeve of the new home shirt happened. His promises to award the trust two seats on the board and of numerous sponsorship deals did not.
The Jorvik Reds, York's ultras group, welcome Oxford to Bootham Crescent, October 2009. The sides drew 1-1, watched by 4,300 fans in all. Photo: Nick Ansell (cc by-nc-nd 2.0)
After eight months of hot air, City went into administration with debts of around £500,000. Again the trust stepped into overdrive and took full control of the club in March 2003 (though it relinquished 75 per cent of it in June 2006) before Chris Brass's side fell through the Football League trapdoor 14 months later.
The Minstermen had been there 75 years, the pinnacle being a 15th-place finish in the second division in 1975. Other highlights include becoming the first side to smash the 100 points barrier as they won Division Four in 1984, taking Jackie Milburn's Newcastle to a semi-final replay in the 1955 FA Cup, and of course, hammering ManYoo 3-0 at Old Trafford in 1995.
Do you come here often?
York's Conference life started slowly as a side containing Paul Groves and Kevin Donovan stumbled to a 17th-place finish in 2005. Two years later Billy McEwan's side earned a play-off spot but were knocked out in the semis by Morecambe. Another couple of years on, and Martin Foyle led City out at Wembley in the FA Trophy final. I was one of the day trippers, cracking day out and all that, but the performance was reminiscent of Town's the year previous as Stevenage eased to a 2-0 win.
2009-10 was Foyle's first full season in charge and saw City improve immensely. A win at Kettering in early February left them only a point behind leaders Oxford, albeit having played two games more. A run of six games without a win ended any hopes of automatic promotion but a play-off spot was secure with weeks to spare. The first leg of the semi saw Luton go down 1-0 on an electric night at Bootham Crescent, before City won by the same scoreline in the now infamous return leg.
The final proved a game too far though, as Oxford raced into a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes at a wet Wembley. Ryan Clarke generously punched into his own net to get York back into it, but a late U's strike sealed it.
Baz's mate Ben in Wañusca, Peru, wearing a mid-90s City shirt which he put on at the time the 2010 play-off final kicked off. Because they were over 4,000 metres high and in the middle of nowhere, he had to wait a day for the result. Photo: Baz Rockliff
Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Grimsby haven't faced the Minstermen since the third round of the 2002 FA Cup. With the first 'Save City' movement in full swing, 6,638 packed into Bootham Crescent to see the then second-tier Mariners dumped out by an Alan Neilson own goal, as City won by a far-easier-than-it-sounds one goal to nil.
The last four league meetings, however, have all come in glorious Town seasons. The double Wembley season of 1997-98 saw a brace of goalless draws between the two sides, while Alan Buckley's promotion-winning '89-90 side won twice – 1-0 in Yorkshire, and 3-0 at Blundell Park.
Town are actually 14 league games unbeaten against City, which I assume is not a stat that will extend to many other sides.
What can we do when the sun goes down?
"York is one of Europe's most inspiring cities." Not my words but the words of its tourist website. It certainly has attractions – York Minster, Jorvik Viking Centre and the National Railway Museum, to name but three. There are also, apparently, over 200 pubs in the city too. If you fancy nightclubbing, try the Gallery – it's where the players drink!
Vital statistics
Last season
League placing: 5th, Conference Premier, P44 W22 D12 L10 F62 A35 Pts78
Home and away rankings: 3rd and 7th in the division
Average attendance: 2,665 (rank: 7th in the division, 92nd in England)
Mileage travelled: 4,101 (I think. It was a lot anyway, and this bloke went to each game on his bike for charity. Top man!)
Top scorer: Richard Brodie (27 goals in 43 games, league and play-offs)
Clean sheets: 21 in 47 games, league and play-offs
This season
Squad size: 17 (as at 11 June, not including the players to be released)
Odds on winning the league: 11/1 (Blue Square; best price is 12/1 with Bet365, SkyBet and Betfred)
Do say
"Jon Champion and Guy Mowbray are clearly the best commentators on telly."
Don't say
"To be fair, Richard Brodie hasn't quite hit the heights of Neil Woods in a York shirt, has he?"
Do you know York? We want your recommendations for local pubs, cafés or B&Bs, to feature in our pre-match factfiles during next season. Use the Cod Almighty feedback form to send them in – or to share any other thoughts you might have about our Rough Guide to the Conference.