York City

York City FC 

Ground: York Community Stadium

Capacity: 8,500

Club Founded: 1922

League: EFL League Two (current level)

Not many clubs have endured as many ups and downs as York City since the turn of the millennium, but their return to the EFL and a new stadium offer great hope for the future.

York Community Stadium. Image taken from the internet

Club History

The Early Years 

An earlier club of the same name lasted between 1908 and 1917, playing as an amateur club and spending some time in the Northern League before the current York City joined the Midland League. After seven seasons, City were elected to Division Three North of the Football League, moving into their new ground at Bootham Crescent from Fulfordgate. 

Their League form was unremarkable, but they gained a reputation as FA Cup giant killers. In 1937-38, York reached the last eight, before going all the way to the semi-finals in 1954-55, defeating Blackpool and Tottenham Hotspur along the way. it took the eventual cup winners, Newcastle United, to knock City out after a replay. 

Club Crest - 60s and 70s

Second Division City

City won promotion from the newly created Division Four, before a couple of relegations and promotions took place. The management of Tom Johnston in 1970-71 took the side back to the third tier. They were promoted to Division Two at the end of the 1973-74 season, when Johnston resigned to be replaced by former Manchester United player Wilf McGuinness.

The team soon returned to the bottom tier, where they successfully defended themselves against re-election. In May 1982, the club appointed Denis Smith as player-manager and Viv Busby as player-coach, to impressive effect. They were soon crowned Division Four champions as Keith Walwyn and John Byrne banged in the goals.

Behind the Main Stand at Bootham Crescent

Cup Shocks

In January 1985, City defeated Arsenal through a Keith Houchen goal at Bootham Crescent in a memorable FA Cup clash. They lost to Liverpool after a replay in the following round, a performance they repeated the season after. The talents of Smith and Busby were noticed by Sunderland, who appointed the pair in May 1987. 

New manager Bobby Saxton took the team down in his first season in charge and was replaced by John Bird. In September 1990, City forward David Longhurst died during a game against Lincoln City after suffering a heart attack on the pitch. 

Club Crest - 80s and 90s

Douglas Craig

Bird departed to be replaced by John Ward and then Alan Little, who led the side to promotion in 1992-93 after a playoff final victory at Wembley over Crewe Alexandra. In their first season back in the third tier, City reached the playoffs.

In 1995-96, City knocked Manchester United out of the League Cup, and followed that up by dispatching Everton the following season. Little was sacked in March 1999, with the team being relegated a couple of months later. Things went wrong for City in December 2001 when long-standing chairman, Douglas Craig, put the club up for sale for £4.5 million. 

The Main Stand, Bootham Crescent

Ownership Issues

He threatened to withdraw the club from the Football League if an owner wasn't found by April 1st the following year. A "businessman" called John Batchelor rode into town and bought the club. As it turned out, Craig's deadline date could not have been more apt for the man who came to the rescue. John Batchelor's Wikipedia entry sums up his chaotic spell perfectly.

City struggled while under the control of the Supporters Trust from March 2003, after they reached an agreement with the Inland Revenue to pay unpaid bills, while hoping that York City Council would provide a joint stadium for themselves and York City Knights RLFC to share. 

Bachelor's Hugely Unpopular Club Crest

 Non-League Relegation

The old York RLFC formerly played their home games on the opposite side of the railway on Clarence Street. Craig's holding company, Bootham Crescent Holdings Ltd, owned the stadium, with Persimmon Homes having a shareholding. York City Council rejected plans for 93 units on the site and let the club remain for the foreseeable future.

City lost their final twenty matches of the 2003-04 season and were relegated to the Conference after seventy-five years of League football. The good news came when the Football Stadia Improvement Fund loaned City £2M to purchase Bootham Crescent.

Bootham Crescent - Looking towards the Shipton Street End

Mixed Wembley Visits

City reached the playoffs in 2005-06, under manager Billy McEwen. Martin Foyle was appointed as team manager in 2009. The team reached the FA Trophy Final, but were defeated by Stevenage Borough at Wembley.

Plans for a new stadium for the city's two major sporting clubs were often mooted as City became accustomed to life as a non-league club. They narrowly missed out on promotion after losing the playoff final to Oxford United at Wembley in May 2010.

The Popular Stand, Bootham Crescent

Good News Times

Former Nottingham Forest player and European Cup winner Gary Mills was appointed as boss shortly after, making his mark on the team in his first season, before leading the club into dreamland in his second. In May 2012, City lifted the FA Trophy after beating Newport County, and then the following week returned to Wembley to win the playoff final against Luton Town. 

Even better news followed when it was announced that plans were passed by the City Council for a new stadium to be built at Monks Cross on the site of the Ryedale Stadium, which would create a new home for both City and York City Knights RLFC, as well as a retail development. 

The Grosvenor Road Away End, Bootham Crescent

Back to the Non-League

City came perilously close to losing their League status in their first season back before the experienced Nigel Worthington was appointed. The Minster Men reached the playoffs at the end of the 2013-14 campaign. 

Former Celtic player Jackie McNamara arrived as manager in the 2015-16 season as City finished bottom of the Football League and were relegated to the National League, as the Conference had been retitled.

My drawing of Bootham Crescent, along with former club crests and team kits.
Click on the images to enlarge them.

Farewell Bootham Crescent

A returning Mills replaced McNamara in October 2016, with the Scotsman becoming chief executive. Mills' second spell saw mixed fortune. York were relegated to the National League North but lifted the FA Trophy for a second time. Macclesfield Town were defeated 3-2 at Wembley, with the goals coming from Jon Parkin, Vadaine Oliver, and Aiden Connolly. 

Mills departed as managers came and went regularly. City reached the play-offs in 2019-20, but dreams of promotion were ended by Altrincham. The long-running saga of the York Community Stadium at Monks Cross was about to come to an end, while a beautiful farewell to Bootham Crescent was created.

The York Community Stadium, under construction

Return to the Football League

John Askey took City to the playoffs, where they returned to the top level of non-league football. Businessman Glen Henderson took over ownership of the club shortly after, which turned into another disaster. He quickly became extremely unpopular, especially when he sacked Askey. 

The side narrowly avoided relegation before Henderson sold up. Julie-Anne and Matthew Uggla became new owners through the 394 Sports Ltd group in July 2023. They appointed Neal Ardley as manager, who was followed by Adam Hinshelwood, whose side lost its playoff semifinal to Oldham Athletic.

Stuart Maynard was appointed in August 2025. His side played some incredible football, scoring 114 goals and amassing 108 points to win the title on the final day away to Rochdale when Josh Stones scored deep into stoppage time, returning the Minstermen to the EFL League 2.

My visits

Bootham Crescent

York City 1 Hull City 2 

Division Two - Saturday 6th December 1975

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 7,037 

This was a big day out for me. Despite having lots of family day outs in York, I'd never been to a game there. In fact, I was only vaguely aware of where it was as we passed the end of the road on the train. 

We went with friends, with Glen going to the game with my Dad and me, which left the women to go shopping. I was concerned that we didn't look for a bus to the ground in such a large city. It's amazing how big things look when you're a youngster!

We sat in the Main Stand with the Hull fans to our left. Bootham Crescent seemed a decent-sized ground to me. The stand we were in was a raised seating block taking around two-thirds of the touchline, with a shallow open terraced paddock at the front. 

To our right was the open Shipton Street End, with a half-time scoreboard and adverts at the rear and the school behind. Opposite was the low all-seated Popular Stand. On the left, the Grosvenor Road End was a large bank of open terracing.

Highlights of the game were on Yorkshire TV on the Sunday afternoon. My main memories were the noise of the crowd when Hull scored their goals through Roy Greenwood and Peter Fletcher, how few wore any colours as this was at the height of hooliganism and the lovely tomato soup behind the stand at half time.

York City 3 Scarborough 0 

FA Cup Round Two - Saturday 16th December 1978

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There was a big away following as I stood in the Grosvenor Road End. Boro were totally outclassed by a fine City display, with Gordon Staniforth standing out. We went on a supporters' coach with my Dad. City gave away free basic programmes on admission back in the day.

The other notable feature was Boro wearing a very smart all-white kit with red and black trim, made by the manufacturer, Litesome. It said something about its quality that some Boro teams still used it, getting on for ten years later.

York City 0 Altrincham 0 

FA Cup Round Two - Saturday 12th December 1981

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 3,786

I went to this game with a schoolmate. It was a tough choice between this game and Doncaster Rovers v Penrith, but we saved some time and money by going as far as York. I'm not sure why, but we stood in the away end. 

It can only have been so we could support the non-league underdogs, as I couldn't stand the dirty sods of Alty. It was an absolutely freezing day when my feet stuck to the terraces. By now, the Grosvenor Road End had been truncated for safety reasons, and the rear section was fenced off.

England U-15s 1 Switzerland U-15s 0

Schoolboy International Friendly - Saturday 3rd April 1982

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I went with plenty of schoolmates on a bus from Raincliffe, organised by our wonderful sports teacher Alan Smith. We stood on the Shipton Street 'Shippo' End. I also went inside the York RLFC ground on Clarence Street, which wasn't the worst ground I'd ever been to.

Details of this game had passed me by until the power of Twitter helped me out when I sent a request to my City supporting mate, Pete, who put out the call to his friends. Many thanks to those gents.

The winner was scored by defender Mark Seagraves with a header in the fifty-fourth minute. Seagraves would go on to a fine career with Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, and Swindon Town after being released by Liverpool. Other notable names in the England side were Fraser Digby, Michael Thomas, Darren Beckford, Kevin Keen, and John Beresford.

York City 1 Hull City 0 

Division Four - Tuesday 19th April 1983

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 9,901 

I went with my Dad and brother Nick on the train to this rearranged game after snow had postponed the original date. York put Hull's promotion charge on hold through the superb forward partnership of John Byrne and Keith Walwyn.

Away manager Colin Appleton sprung a surprise by playing Emlyn Hughes in defence. There was a lot of bother outside the ground, which led to one of my more memorable days as a Tigers fan, recalled on the page of Hull City memories.

York City 1 Hull City 2

Division Three - Saturday 29th December 1984

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 9,565 

I went on the train with my Tigers mates for this Christmas game. I thought I was going to miss it as I was out of work at the time, but my joy was unconfined when a giro came through the letterbox. I made sure I spent it most unwisely.

Lots of away fans were not really welcomed by landlords in the pubs, so we ended up settling for fish and chips near the ground. Billy Askew scored the winner from the wing after an Andy Flounders goal. He insisted he meant it!

York City 1 Fulham 3

Division Three - Saturday 12th March 1988

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 2,560 

Scarborough were away at Exeter, so I went and stood on Shippo End with my mate Gary Griffiths, who drove. City were dire under Bobby Saxton in a season which would end in relegation. which I found quite funny. I picked up one of the first club fanzines I'd ever seen that day.

The Cottagers had a fine side with Gordon Davies and Clive Walker providing the attacking threat, with the consistent Ray Lewington and Robert Wilson in midfield. City's star player of the time was Dale Banton.

York City 1 Scarborough 2

North Riding Senior Cup Final - Tuesday 19th April 1988

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Boro came from behind to lift the cup with a Stewart Mell goal and then a superb Mitch Cook free kick, clinching it. There was a decent turnout in the away end.

York City 0 Scarborough 0

Division Four - Monday 27th March 1989

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This Easter Monday clash lacked any real incident and was a pretty poor game. Boro had nearly 2,000 in the away end in a game they could have done with winning in their playoff season. My pal Steve drove us to the game. 

We stopped off at the Cayley Arms at Brompton for a beer on the way home before heading downtown and ending up in The Other Place nightclub until very late. Happy Days!

York City 1 Scarborough 2

Division Four - Saturday 24th February 1990

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 3,551 

Boro came from one down to win with two second-half Paul Dobson goals. I had a great day with some mates. I was caught on the TV highlights, going berserk wearing my dungarees (fashion, eh!) next to Baz as the winner went in. 

The police were ratty, marching us all the way back to the station in high spirits. I had a rather large pre-match session on Blossom Street.

York City 2 Scarborough 0

Division Four - Tuesday 23rd April 1991

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 3,017

Boro's faint play-off hopes were virtually ended in a disappointing performance against an impressive John McCarthy-inspired City. I went in the car, but the whole night seemed flat with a poorish Boro turnout. Pre-match beers were taken in The Hopgrove.

Bootham Crescent had seen its latest change as the old Shippo End now had a roof and was named the David Longhurst Stand in memory of the City player who died during a game in 1990.

York City 4 Scarborough 1

Division Four - Saturday 5th October 1991

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 2,971 

This day out is often talked about when the subject of famous days out comes up, but in truth, it was a complete and utter shambles. Boro went one up and were all over City before something went wrong and the wheels came off. Mr. Marples in goal was at his obnoxious best, cranking up the Seadogs behind him. 

We had a sit-in at the end against Chairman Richmond for twenty minutes, which caused a stir for a few weeks. Some of us then went on a drowning of sorrows of monumental proportions after already having had quite a lunchtime session. We were in Micklegate with the choice of the last train or more alcohol. 

The taxi eventually got us home for about £6 each, which he'd have needed to valet later after travel sickness caused me to destroy Crusher's brand new wax jacket, amongst other things. Chewy was in the cab for some reason, which was strange as he lived in Leeds and told his lass at 9am that morning that he was popping out for a paper and some milk. 

Then, when trying desperately to recover with a hair of the dog the next lunchtime, someone broke the news that a gang had broken into the McCain Stadium. They pulled down the rugby posts and wrecked the scoreboard. A day to forget at the time, but quite amusing now, unless you're Geoffrey Richmond.

York City 1 Scarborough 0

Division Three - Saturday 17th April 1993

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City needed to win to seal a playoff place, and we had a chance to stop them. We went by car and stopped at a pub on the A64, where the landlady asked why we couldn't be nice neighbours and let City win, and she was serious! A big Boro contingent went home disappointed as City won a scrappy game with a penalty.

The Main Stand had been extended with a larger roof, and the seating carried over the old paddock down to the touchline. Not for the first time, it was an interesting walk back to the station, especially as we were parked near the old rugby league ground!

York City 0 Hull City 2 

Friendly - Wednesday 23rd July 2014

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 2,301 🎟️ £12

My few days' break in Scarborough slotted in perfectly for a long overdue visit to Bootham Crescent. I was in top form after enjoying Yorkshire’s magnificent win at Scarborough against Middlesex in the County Championship. 

My Dad was on a pensioners' trip from the Railway Club to Skegness, so he was unavailable. Instead, I met my brother Nick, his wife Rachel, and my nephew Stan. The packed full train got me to York at 5.45, following a very pleasant walk on the seafront back in Scarborough. 

I took the quickest route to the ground along the side of the railway. Twenty minutes later, I was standing outside waiting for the others. The Tigers' coach, carrying the team, had arrived just before Stan, who had hoped to see some of the players close up.

We had a couple of drinks in the Burton Lane Working Men's Club, across the road from the away end, before deciding to take a place on the terracing. The programme was a folded effort that covered both that evening’s game and the previous friendly with Sheffield Wednesday and cost £1.

An impressive turnout of 696 away fans had made the journey to see a strong Tigers line-up. I decided to try the catering. My potato and meat pie was scalding hot but very tasty. The stall seemed to be doing a good trade.

The game was a decent affair, with tackles going in on a glorious evening. The visitors' new signing, Robert Snodgrass, certainly put himself about. Michael Coulson was York’s standout performer in a decent team performance. The game remained goalless at the interval.

Hull City fielded virtually a brand new team for the second period, including the excellent Tom Huddlestone and recent capture Tom Ince. They went ahead when a hopeful shot from the edge of the box from Sone Aluko somehow crept under the body of keeper Michael Ingham, five minutes after the restart.

Coulson came close to levelling the scores as his shot grazed the crossbar, before the home side tired. Huddlestone and Jake Livermore took increasing control of the midfield. A pass was miscontrolled by centre back Keith Lowe to allow Yannick Sagbo to double the lead a couple of minutes from full time as he smashed past the substitute goalie Jason Mooney.

The sun had dropped by halftime, leading to it being a little chilly by the end. Stanley decided that my hoodie would be ideal for him to keep warm!

We took the pleasant walk back towards the city centre once I’d got us replacement programmes for the ones soaked when my water bottle leaked. I left the others and had just enough time to enjoy a beautiful pint of Citra in the York Tap on the station before catching my train back to the coast.

York Community Stadium

Thursday 20th August 2020

I decided to be positive in how I used my fortnight’s summer annual leave once the Coronavirus restrictions had been loosened to visit some friends and relatives. I took the train to York for six days in North Yorkshire.

City had been due to move into the LNER Community Stadium, to give the Community Stadium its titled moniker, several months earlier, but the opening had been delayed several times. I knew it wouldn’t be too much longer. As it happened, the stadium was perfectly located for my visit as I was staying at the Monks Cross Travelodge for three nights. 

It was a beautiful day, so I decided to take my daily exercise, walking the three miles from the station. I’d actually been to the Huntingdon Stadium, which formerly stood in just about the same site, to see Ryedale York, as York City Knights RLFC were called at the time. That had been against Batley in the early 90s with the landlord of my flat, who hailed from Normanton. 

That ground had a running track around the pitch, with a seated stand facing a decent-sized covered terracing opposite. A stadium with a track was naturally going to be unpopular with football fans, so a new rebuild was required to accommodate City and the Knights, who were tenants at Bootham Crescent.

Sadly, the ground was locked, and several surrounding roads were fenced off and incomplete when I arrived to see the new build, delaying its opening. I managed to get a peek through some gaps in the fencing without gaining any proper views. The all-seater arena backed onto a large building containing leisure facilities for all the family, including a cinema.

 

It also had an indoor Puttstars miniature golf where I would triumph the following day! A leisure and fitness centre was positioned in the corner at the other end, where three small artificial surfaced courts stood outside the main entrance. The Vangrade Shopping Park gave the whole area an enclosed feel despite it being next to open countryside.

It might not have been the perfect location-wise, especially for pre-match beers, but the city of York would have an arena to be proud of, with its surrounding leisure facilities, and its capacity of 8,005. I went on to have a lovely few days, starting with a fine evening in the city with my brother, where plenty of conviviality took place, despite the regulations inside the pubs.