Today I'm going back 38 years to 1984 and York City's League Division 3 visit to the smoke of London and, more specifically, to Brisbane Road in Leyton, home of Orient (or Leyton Orient as they are known today). The game was attended by 2,473 spectators. The game was my second visit (of seven in all) to Brisbane Road following a visit the previous season to watch Rotherham United when Orient and York had been in different divisions. I haven't been back since 1996 so I must be overdue another visit. Today it's known as the Breyer Group Stadium for sponsorship reasons but I know it by its original and rather splendid name of Brisbane Road. A road to Brisbane you say? That must be a long one!
This was my first ever sighting of the Minstermen in the Third Division (now known as League 1). York had been promoted in a blaze of glory the previous season, winning the Fourth Division title at a canter under the management of Denis Smith. His selection to face Orient was essentially the side that had got the club promoted and lined-up as follows: Jones; Evans, Sbragia, McPhail, Hay; Haselgrave, Ford, Nicholson; Houchen, Walwyn and Byrne. City's front three were guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of even the most grizzled of Third Division defenders that season!
To our great surprise however, the first goal in the game went to (crap nickname alert) "the O's" with Richard Cadette notching the only goal of the first half for the home side. Cadette, something of a "pocket battleship" at only 5 foot 7 inches tall, had only joined Orient the previous month from non-league side Wembley FC and he played just 28 games for the club (scoring 5 goals) before leaving to join Southend United at the end of the season. Cadette would go on to have a fine career, playing for a number of other clubs including Brentford and Falkirk and eventually finished playing in 1998. Cadette had been a prolific forward with a decent record, scoring 119 goals from 356 League appearances.
I wonder what Denis Smith had said to his side at halftime but, whatever it was, his "encouragement" worked a treat with City scoring three second half goals without reply to win the match 3-1. City's goals were scored by the dynamic duo of Keith Walwyn and John Byrne with the third coming from Gary Nicholson. Former Newcastle United and Mansfield Town player Nicholson went on to make just 24 Football League appearances for York scoring 4 goals (including this one) and he moved on to Halifax Town the following season.
Season 1984/85 was a good one for York City and they went on to finish in a highly respectable 8th place. The same could not be said for Orient, managed by Frank Clark, however. Their season ended in relegation with the club finishing a point short of safety in 22nd place, relegated alongside Football League founder members Burnley and Preston North End plus Cambridge United who won just four League games all season. Champions of the Third Division were Bradford City with Millwall and Hull City also promoted back in the days before the Play-Offs were introduced.
CRB Match No. 326
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