York City Football Club was an association football club based in the city of York, Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1908, the club completed seven seasons before folding in 1917.
| Full name | York City Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1908 |
| Dissolved | 1917 |
| Ground | Field View |
| 1914–15 | Midland League, 16th of 20 |
History
edit
With the expansion of the York & District League (formed 1897) at a time when association football was gaining in national popularity, demand for a club representative of the city of York arose.[1][2] York City Football Club was founded as an amateur club, joining the Northern League for the 1908–09 season and acquiring a ground on Holgate Road at the end of Lindley Street and Murray Street.[1][3] York won their first match 2–1 at home to South Bank,[4] and finished the season 11th out of 12 teams in the Northern League.[5] During this season, the club entered the FA Amateur Cup.[4] After beating Withernsea and York St Paul's, York were knocked out in the third qualifying round by Scarborough in a replay.[6] York finished in last place in the Northern League in the 1909–10 season,[5] before joining the Yorkshire Combination as founder members to reduce travelling.[4] York competed in this division for two seasons; after finishing eighth in a 10-team league in the 1910–11 season, they ranked in the same position in an expanded league of 14 teams in 1911–12.[7]
J. E. Wright took over as secretary in 1911, and advocated the formation of a limited company to run a professional club, believing amateur football would not succeed in a rugby league stronghold.[4] The club turned professional in 1912, and acquired a rough plot of land on Burton Stone Lane, where a new ground, known as Field View, was built.[4] York were admitted to the Midland League for the 1912–13 season,[8] and the new ground was opened on 7 September with a 2–1 win over Rotherham Town, which was played before a crowd of around 5,000.[9][10] They played in the Midland League for three seasons, achieving a highest finish of 10th of 20 teams in the 1912–13 season, before ranking 12th in an 18-team league in 1913–14.[11] However, the club struggled to establish itself, and was hindered by frequent fixture clashes with York F.C., the local rugby league club.[9]
York were invited to a meeting to discuss the formation of a Third Division of the Football League, but with the outbreak of the First World War the meeting did not take place.[9] Because of hostilities, the Midland League was suspended after the 1914–15 season, in which York ranked 16th out of 20 teams.[12] The club went into liquidation through the bankruptcy court in August 1917 after a creditor pressed for payment of the ground's stand.[9][13] York's ground was taken over by the City of York Corporation, which leased it to allotment holders,[14] before a housing estate was built on the site.[9] With football becoming increasingly popular locally after the end of the war, there came demand for a new club for the city of York.[15] A new club, also called York City Football Club, was formed in 1922.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b Batters, David (2008). York City: The Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-85983-633-0.
- ^ Parker, Barry (2 July 2007). "York City FC: History". BBC North Yorkshire. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "York City {1}". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Batters. York City: The Complete Record. p. 11.
- ^ a b Robinson, Michael, ed. (2018). Non-League Football Tables of North East England 1889–2018. Cleethorpes: Soccer Books. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-86223-388-1.
- ^ Hawthorn, Fred (2009). The FA Amateur Cup Complete Results. Nottingham: Tony Brown. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-1-905891-15-3.
- ^ Robinson, Michael, ed. (2021). Non-League Football Tables of Yorkshire & Lincolnshire 1889–2021. Cleethorpes: Soccer Books. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-86223-473-4.
- ^ "New Midland League clubs". The Daily Mail. Kingston upon Hull. 10 June 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2022 – via Findmypast.
- ^ a b c d e Batters. York City: The Complete Record. p. 12.
- ^ "York City v. Rotherham Town". The Yorkshire Post. Leeds. 9 September 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2022 – via Findmypast.
- ^ Robinson, Michael, ed. (2020). Non-League Football Tables of the East Midlands of England 1889–2020. Cleethorpes: Soccer Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-86223-437-6.
- ^ Abbink, Dinant (31 July 2008). "England – Midland League". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "York City in liquidation". Sunderland Daily Echo. 11 August 1917. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2022 – via Findmypast.
- ^ "The last of York City". The Yorkshire Evening Post. Leeds. 9 June 1917. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2022 – via Findmypast.
- ^ a b Batters. York City: The Complete Record. p. 13.
