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City's League History |
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Founded in 1922 the Club were members of the Midlands League
until their election to the Football League (Division 3 North)
in 1929 when they took the place of Ashington. City had a successful
debut Season (1929/30) in which they finished 6th but this was
to be their highest placing until the 1950,s. In the years prior
to and immediately after the war their record was moderately
successful, but in 1949/50 they finished bottom of the Northern
Section and had to apply for re-election. In seasons 1952/53
and 1954/55 they finished 4th, their highest placing in the
former regional set up, but in 1958 they failed on goal average
to retain their 3rd Division status and so became founder members
of Division 4.
Since then they have established themselves as a 'yo-yo' Club
- 6 times promoted, 6 times relegated and 6 applications for
re-election. They were promoted to Division 3 at the first attempt
in 1959 only to suffer immediate relegation the following year.
Fortunes dipped in 1963/64 when they had to apply for re-election
but 12 months later they bounced back to finish in the top 4
with a then Club record of 62 points. Their stay in the 3rd
Division was again to be the shortest duration however, because
in 1965/66 they finished bottom of the League with just 27 points.
The next 3 seasons (1966/69) City struggled in the lower reaches
of the 4th Division and had to make 3 successive applications
for re-election but in 1970/71 they again stepped out of the
shadows with a 3rd promotion success. In each of the following
2 seasons only goal average saved them from relegation.
The following season, however, City surprised the football world
by finishing 3rd with 61 points and so gained promotion to the
old Division 2 for the first time in their history. It was a
memorable season with only 6 league defeats - a Club record
and they completed a sequence of 11 League games without conceding
a goal to equal a Football League record set up by Millwall
in the 1920's. City were a respectable 15th with 38 points in
their first season in higher company but in 1975/76 they finished
21st with only 28 points. The downward slide continued with
the Club finishing bottom of the 3rd Division the following
season, and they completed an unhappy 'hat trick' when in their
first season back in the 4th Division they had to apply for
re-election.
The following two campaigns they were 10th and 17th but in 1980/81
the Club experienced their unhappiest season when they finished
bottom of the Football League and had to make their 7th application
for re-election.
In May 1982 the managerial team of Denis Smith and Viv Busby
was appointed. They guided the Club from the lower reaches of
the Division 4 to its first major honour (4th Division Championship
1983/84) a place in the top 8 of Division 3 in successive seasons
and consecutive appearances in the 5th round of the F A Cup
losing on each occasion to Liverpool after a replay.
1983/84 was a memorable season with several new Club records
being established - most wins 31, most away wins 13, most goals
96, most League doubles 11, clean sheets 20 and the first Club
in Football League history to reach 100 points.
Smith and Busby moved to Sunderland in 1987 and were succeeded
by Bobby Saxton the former boss of Blackburn Rovers. After a
traumatic period culminating in relegation back to Division
4 he left in September 1988 and the following month John Bird
was appointed manager. He held the post for exactly three years
during which time the Club languished mostly in the lower reaches
of the table and his successor was John Ward who had been assistant
to Graham Taylor at Watford and Aston Villa. After several seasons
in the doldrums, 1992/93 was a memorable campaign for City.
In the Club's first ever visit to Wembley they won promotion
via the play offs beating Crewe Alexandra in a penalty shoot
out. In March 1993 Ward left after 18 months in charge to take
over at Bristol Rovers and his assistant Alan Little was appointed
as his successor. In their first season in the new Second Division
City reached the promotion play offs, losing narrowly to Stockport
County in the semi final stage. In 1994/95 they finished 9th
but in each of the next two campaigns narrowly avoided relegation
and in 1997/98 finished 16th.
After a club record six successive seasons in the Second Division
they were relegated in May 1999 dropping into the bottom four
for the first time on the last day of the campaign. Two months
earlier Alan Little was dismissed and his successor was Neil
Thompson who had been signed from Barnsley early in 1998.
In the last four seasons the club have languished in the lower
reaches of the Third Division and were relegated to the Conference
League in 2004. In February 2000 Thompson was dismissed and
former Bradford City and Hull City manager Terry Dolan took
over the hot seat. Dolan left the Club in June 2003 and Chris
Brass took over as Player/Manager.
Managers of the Club since the war have included Sam Bartram
who for many years kept goal for Charlton Athletic, Wilf McGuiness
of England and Manchester United fame, Joe Shaw ex Sheffield
United and Tom Johnston who guided City from Division 4 to the
old Division 2 in the 1970's.
2002 marked the 80th anniversary of the formation of the club
and it is exactly 70 years since the move to Bootham Crescent
from the original ground at Fulfordgate.
In March 2002 ownership of the club passed into the hands of
motor racing tycoon John Batchelor. On the 28th March 2003 the
Supporters Trust took over ownership of the Club.
Having flirted with relegation to Conference North in 2004/05
City experienced much better fortunes last season finishing
in 8th position. They started the campaign well and up to the
end of October kept pace with the promotion front runners. A
mid season slump saw the club slip down the table but then a
six match winning sequence (February/March) saw play off hopes
revived. These aspirations were dashed, however when only two
points were gained from the last five games. Top scorer with
25 goals was Andy Bishop and he was the Conference's leading
marksman. In May 2006 he moved to Bury. Clubman of the Year
Clayton Donaldson who netted 18 times. Average league attendance
was 2,871 the second highest in the Conference behind Exeter
City.
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