In The City – York City

Saturday 8th September 2012, League Two

Bootham Crescent, York – Ground 76

York City 2 Chesterfield 2

Did you know that no building in York can be built higher than it’s minster? York is one of only two locations in the World which possesses an existing, original Barbican. In Japan, the York originated Kit-Kat is available in 41 flavours varying from strawberry cheesecake to wasabi and green tea. York has never been conquered in a battle. York was widely considered the Northern capital of the country throughout British history. York is well and truly a unique city. It is full of history, picturesque and a magnificent city to visit. I place it in the country’s best five cities.

The football team of York, York City however ,cannot claim a number of unique facts about itself. They have floated in the lower leagues with only one league championship in their honours list and other than that, it is the odd giantkiling act that they are remembered for. With the city’s history and pubs, their return for the Football League this year was warmly welcomed by the fans of the fourth tier clubs. My visit to Bootham Crescent signalled the final straight of my hunt to achieve the 92. I have mentioned how expensive the journeys were becoming and I have begun to do more grounds as a weekend away. York was one of those, and with the international break in September and no main holiday this year, it was the perfect time to visit.

Bootham Crescent is roughly fifteen minutes away from the centre of the city and probably another five minutes if you are coming from the railway station. Our bed and breakfast happened to be just five minutes walk away from the ground (non-intentional, as it was recommended by my parents) meaning my girlfriend and I could have a  day together exploring York before I slipped off in time for the three o’clock kick off.  The weather was excellent all weekend;  a bus tour which was handy for the opening paragraph of this blog, and a guided visit of the spectacular Minster are definitely deserving of your time whilst in York.

I approached the ground twenty minutes before kick-off and saw that plenty of Chesterfield travelling supporters were there to make a day of it. Bootham was kissed by the  afternoon sun, ideal for the Spireties fans who watched from an uncovered terraced. Without a doubt, seeing a football game in the sunshine makes far more impact than a rainy day. Bootham Crescent contains two seated stands, the main stand containing the changing rooms and facilities – a partial timber structure in good condition with a fresh lick of paint on it. Opposite, running along the touchline was a covered terrace with seats bolted onto it, split between the two sections of support. To gain access to this stand, you had to pay an entrance fee of £1. An occurance which is becoming more common with non-league teams.

As described earlier, the Chesterfield fans were housed on an open terrace, I stood in the main home end; a traditional terrace with crush barriers every four or five steps. It reminded me of Aldershot’s home end with a flat roof rather than the Shots’ Dutch barn roof. The views were decent enough as the terrace was reasonably elevated with the food bars being a hole in the rear of the stand and the toilets much further back, which I imagine to be unpleasant in winter. Therefore when I read and heard of York City’s proposed move to a new stadium I could agree with it in principle. There is just one access point for the home fans through the club gates, the facilities are dilapidated and there is very little space to extend or erect a modern stand. I actively encourage any club to keep their original stadium but at Bootham, it would be a near impossible job (nothing is impossible in construction – it just costs).

After the visit, I looked at the new plans and realised that York City are committing a footballing sin, almost suicidal for a club it’s size. The proposed stadium looks rather bland in design and again, it’s not difficult to know that’s because the more complex a design, the more it costs. The biggest issue is it’s location, approximately 2.4 miles away from the city of York. The football club have struggled with the local council in finding a city site and thus has meant the club going outside the city boundaries. Having seen – and many will agree – how Coventry City, Colchester Unitedand many other non-league clubs have been strangled by aloof locations, I would encourage York City fans to fight for a new site. A remote location makes supporter apathy even larger when the performances are poor and it won’t be such an attractive ground to visit any more.

Onto the match, York have earned a reptuation in the Conference for playing a 4-3-3 formation which encourages quick counter-attacking passing football. This strategy can be an easy target at League Two level, where it is reasonable enough to say that physicality is valued more than technique. Chesterfield are an example of that, with a strikeforce combo containing Marc Richards (height & strength) and Craig Westcarr (speed). Gary Mills at York is fully aware of the lack of muscle, hence why he signed Clarke Carlisle; a player now firmly living off his player-appointed role as PFA Chairman and a sole promotion to the Premiership whilst at Burnley. The contrast in style made for an interesting game where neither team proved which philosophy is better.

Chesterfield’s opener was from a set piece. A goalmouth scramble in the York six yard box after a whipped-in corner led to the ball breaking towards Sam Hird who smashed it past Ingram in the York goal. The home side had a lot of the better, early play and Chesterfield were restricted to counter-attacking. These attacks distrubed the centre-back from York; Richards could match their strength allowing Craig Westcarr a free role with the York midfield flat and lacking defensive duty. York’s forward Jason Walker is rather different to both of these two strikers. Instead he’s short and more reliant on his intelligence, his assist for Michael Coulson’s equaliser was a perfect example as he dinked it ‘around the corner’ into the goalscorer’s path. Walker is an example of York’s issue in this division; clever with the ball but not particularly sharp in front of the goal.

Chesterfield went into the lead just before the break. A short exchange of passes in the middle of the park between Richards and Westcarr blitzed the recovering York players, allowing Westcarr to shoot unchallenged just inside the 18 yard box. The soft drinks were sold out at half-time and the good weather also affected the start of the second half. Chesterfield were happy to keep shape with York’s happiness in sideways passing, failing to cause any danger to the away team’s goal. However, it changed when Chesterfield subbed a winger for an out-and-out striker. Westcarr moved to the left-wing and the subtitute Luke Boden went up front. The natural thing for both players is to attack rather than keep shape and see out the win. York could finally counter, rather than build an attack. The equaliser happened to come from that area of pitch too. A two-on-one situation outnumbering the Chesterfield full-back led to a cutback cross met by an acrobatic finish from Jason Walker.

I seriously doubt that I’ll re-visit Bootham again with a new stadium on the horizon and York way down in the divisions. I was left hoping that maybe they could replace one or two of the current stands and we could draw them out in the FA Cup on Saturday to take advantage of York as a city. All in all, a highly enjoyable visit and excellent weekend away.