York City visit The Abbey on Saturday as one of the Blue Square Premier's form teams. The Minstermen have experienced a remarkable turnaround since the arrival of Colin Walker, who took the Managerial reins following Bill McEwan's departure in November, and have suffered defeat just twice in the past nineteen matches.
Following a poor seasonal start they now sit tenth in the table, whilst progression has been made to the FA Trophy Semi-Finals thanks to last Saturday's 1-0 victory at Rushden.
Kit-Kat Crescent
City's Conference life began in 2004/05 following a disastrous relegation. Despite a flying start to the 2003/04 campaign that saw them ensconced in the top seven at Christmas, they fell through the Football League trapdoor following fifteen losses and draws from their remaining twenty games. They also rode a wave of financial uncertainty due to the expected drop in income and a cloud hanging over the future of Bootham Crescent.
Thankfully, though, the club was saved due to a Supporters Trust takeover. Seventeenth place was secured in the consolidatory 2004/05 campaign, whilst a brighter future was rubber-stamped thanks to City's stadium being placed under sponsorship, with Bootham Crescent tastily renamed The Kit-Kat Crescent.
Manager Chris Brass had left mid-way through the previous campaign, paving the way for Billy McEwan to restructure for 2005/06. Brass's strike partnership of Clayton Donaldson and Andy Bishop bagged a combined 43 goals in 2004/05, and their form continued into the new season with City losing just twice in the opening fourteen games. Unfortunately though, all was in vain as they collected just two points from the concluding five games, meaning an eighth place finish.
Ably Assisted
The arrival of experienced keeper Tom Evans, along with defenders Darren Craddock and David McGurk bolstered the back-line prior last season's commencement and, thankfully, despite the loss of Andy Bishop to Bury, goals continued to flow. By March Donaldson had bagged 22 goals, including a hat-trick at The Abbey, and was ably assisted by Craig Farrell, Martyn Woolford and Steve Bowey, who contributed twenty goals. However, Donaldson controversially signed a pre-contract agreement to join Hibernian in the summer and, although the goals dried up, City made the play-offs. A 0-0 draw with Morecambe at KitKat Crescent was not the result they wanted in the Semi-Final first leg, and disappointment was sealed a week later as The Shrimps edged through to the Wembley Final thanks to a 2-1 win in Lancashire.
Supporters Trust
Off the pitch in close-season Supporters Trust members voted in favour of a structural change, meaning City are now 75% owned by local company J M Packaging Ltd with The Trust retaining 25%. McEwan hoped these positive moves would be matched by a good start to this season.
Striking options were boosted when strikers Onome Sodje and Paul Brayson arrived from Ebbsfleet and Northwich respectively, whilst journeyman defender Stuart Elliott decided to make York his eighteenth club along with fellow defender Ben Purkiss, who turned his loan from Gainsborough into a permanent deal. Surprising for many supporters was the release of midfielder Mark Convery, who added guile to our own Mighty U's engine room but seemingly has been adequately replaced by Nicky Wroe who flew the Hamilton Academicals nest.
A flurry of loan signings were also captured, but it did not help The Minstermen avoid a surprisingly terrible start to the campaign in the face of high optimism.
United started the rot with a 2-1 opening day win at Kit Kat Crescent, and this continued into their first away game of the season when, despite being 3-1 ahead with just seven minutes remaining , Billy's boys proceeded to agonisingly lose 4-3.
It took until their fifth game to achieve victory in the guise of a 1-0 win at Northwich, but a further six matches passed before their second success came around. By this time City had lost an unprecedented four home games and were ensconced in 20th place cradling just five points.
The tide was appearing to turn, though, when a first home win of the campaign jump started a run of five victories and a draw from nine League games. However, an FA Cup exit at home to Havant & Waterlooville coupled with a 3-1 loss to Salisbury, unbelievably their eighth in front of the faithful, proved too much for the board and McEwan (right) was shown the door.
Tracks of Recovery
Present supremo Colin Walker stepped into the hot-seat and immediately steered City onto the tracks of recovery in the guise of their aforementioned 19-game hot streak. The goalscoring form of strikers Onome Sodje, Richard Brodie and Craig Farrell along with winger Martyn Woolford has also had a positive effect, with the quartet bagging upwards of 25 goals since the former reserve team Manager's arrival.
A dramatic turnaround in home form, including a 2-0 win over leaders Aldershot, has also been accompanied by away League victories at Weymouth, Ebbsfleet and Droylsden, whilst successful progression in the Setanta Shield was only recently halted by Northwich. Furthermore, last week's FA Trophy joy at Rushden has set up an enticing two-leg Semi-Final with Torquay.
Walker has also boosted the squad in recent weeks with the loan capture of Rotherham midfielder Sam Duncum and our own Leo Fortune-West, who has bagged one goal in two games but is ineligible to play this weekend. Utility man Simon Rusk also joined the ranks from Peterborough during the transfer window.
City now sit in the top half of the table following, with defeat at Histon two weeks ago becoming their first League loss since 17 November; a handsome record for a rookie Manager. The Minstermen are just seven points from the Play-offs meaning a late surge may not be unrealistic. Therefore, The U's should prepare themselves for a tough afternoon's work.
Previous Meetings
York pay their twelfth visit to The Abbey on Saturday, and in twenty-three encounters against United The Minstermen have recorded twelve victories and four draws.
A Division Four clash in February 1971 marked our first encounter; a crowd of 4,593 witnessing a 1-1 draw, whilst the Bootham Crescent return saw City extend their unbeaten home run with a 3-0 victory over United in heavy snow. The 1973/74 Division Three campaign served up a 0-0 Abbey draw, with City bagging a 2-0 Yorkshire win the following February.
Another fissure of eleven years unfolded, with the 1984/85 Canon Division Three campaign our next meeting point. City recorded the third of nine Bootham Crescent wins over The U's in September; a 3-2 victory being sealed after two Steve Fallon own goals. The hoodoo then continued with a 4-0 February thumping in Cambridgeshire.
Our association resumed three years on and, after a 1-1 Barclays Division Four draw at The Abbey in April 1989, The U's finally broke their duck thanks to a 2-1 win at Bootham Crescent four weeks later. The following season saw City gun down 23rd-placed United in a 4-2 October home win but, five months later Chris Leadbitter snatched a point in 2-2 draw and, remarkably, John Beck's Amber Army won promotion.
1993/94 saw us in Endsleigh League Division Two with a pair of 2-0 City wins served up. A December encounter during 1994/95 resulted in a 1-0 United home win, Carlo Corazzin the hero, before normal service was resumed on 15 April with a 2-0 City win.
The turn of the century saw both sides in the Football League basement with a pulsating 3-0 home victory sealing matters in September 2002; City recaptured bragging rights in a 3-1 March win. 2003/04 saw respective 2-0 home victories but, with City consequently relegated, it signalled our last Football League action.
Our first match at Non-League level produced a 1-0 home triumph for York in September 2005, but City lost 2-0 at the Abbey the following April. Last season dished up two tumultuous contests; The U's returning from Bootham Crescent with a 2-1 win [report], whilst Billy McEwan's men gained a modicum of revenge in March 2006 on account of their 5-0 battering of United at The Abbey [report].
This season's opener in the North's spiritual capital saw a debut goal for U's defender Gavin Hoyte and was settled by Lee Boylan, whose penalty sealed a 2-1 win [report].
For the full Previous Meetings article please buy Saturday's Matchday Programme.
Doug Shulman
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