Today's posting is my 500th in my Football Programme Memories blog series. I just wanted to thank those of you who are regular readers of my articles and who have provided support and encouragement for my efforts over the past year or so. I've very much enjoyed sifting through my programme collection to bring you my offerings but without readers it would have been a rather pointless exercise. So well done to you and my sincere thanks!
Also a word about today's FA Trophy Semi-Final at Hayes Lane, Bromley where York are attempting to go to Wembley for the seventh time in our history. I shall be there with 1,000 other travelling City fans roaring the boys on. Can we do it? Well you have to believe that it's possible despite the odds being stacked against us. It would be fabulous if the amazing scenes from the Quarter-Final at Dagenham could be repeated today. Lord knows the long-suffering Minstermen fanbase surely deserve another visit to Wembley. Come on City! You can do it! You are MASSIVE after all!
Today however I'm going back 34 years to 1988 and York City's visit to Gigg Lane, Bury for a Third Division fixture or, as some City fans would style it, "Bury away for the annual massacre". The game was attended by 2,277 spectators. I've covered the plight of Bury and the joys of the York City away trip to Bury in previous articles (which can be found by searching on "Bury" in my blog) but I should note that the new supporter-owned phoenix Bury AFC have recently won the title and promotion from the North West Counties League Division 1 North in their first complete season since formation (reformation?). That means that next season they'll be playing in the ninth tier of the English football pyramid which compares to York's position at the sixth level (hopefully fifth is Play-Off hopes come to fruition!). Watch out City fans, Bury are coming! As Shakespeare might have had it "I come to bury Bury not to praise them" but good luck to their supporter-owned club nonetheless!
Perhaps surprisingly, Bobby Saxton's York won the featured game by a goal to nil with the goal being scored in the second half by Tony Clegg, a centre-half who made 41 Football League appearances for York, scoring three goals. Also in City's side that day was former Blackburn Rovers stalwart Jim Branagan who would go on to make 42 Football League appearances for York, scoring a single goal. Appearing in the Bury line-up was current Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson as well as Noel Brotherston. Northern Ireland international (27 caps, 3 goals) Brotherston was approaching the end of a long career and came on as a substitute in the featured game. He started out in the ranks at Tottenham but made only one Football League appearance for Spurs before moving to Blackburn Rovers where he played for majority of his career. Sadly Brotherston died of a heart attack in 1995 aged just 38.
This was another one of York's rare seasons in the third tier of English football but, sadly and despite this win, it wasn't a happy season with the club being relegated in 23rd place and 20 points short of safety. Only Doncaster Rovers finished below York and that was only on goal difference and only by one goal. Including the featured game, City enjoyed just four league wins on the road in 1987/88. Bury on the other hand finished in a comfortable mid-table position (14th). As Jim Bowen would often say on Bullseye when showing an unlucky contestant a speedboat or some such: "Let's see what you could have won" and Champions of the Third Division that season were Sunderland showing City fans what might have been under the management of former boss Denis Smith. City were heading back down to think again.
CRB Match No. 555
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