Today I'm going back 41 years to 1981 and York City's Fourth Division fixture against the Blades of Sheffield United. The game was played at Bootham Crescent and was attended by 5,557, many of whom had come from Sheffield.
Featuring for Sheffield United that day was John MacPhail who would go on to provide sterling service in a York City shirt and who is surely one of the greatest centre-backs ever to have played for the club. MacPhail was born in Dundee and started out with the dark blue side in Dundee before moving South to join Sheffield United. Whilst with the Blades he made 135 Football League appearances but he moved to York City, initially on loan, in February 1983. MacPhail was very popular with City fans and won Clubman of the Year two seasons running in 1983/84 (as part of City's record breaking Fourth Division championship side) and 1984/85. Sadly for York supporters, after 173 appearances for City (scoring 29 goals), MacPhail left for Bristol City in July 1986 before teaming up once again with manager Denis Smith to achieve promotions from the Third and Second Divisions in three glorious seasons. He ended his playing days at Hartlepool United and finished with a total of 664 club appearances scoring 58 goals. We learned recently that John, now 66, is struggling with ill health and I send him my best wishes. He was a Rolls Royce of a player!
The featured game was a classic. Sheffield United had been relegated into the Fourth Division for the first time in their history the previous season and it was clear that they considered themselves to be "on loan" to the Football League's basement division for just one season. United fans enjoyed travelling to a host of grounds that were new territory for them and where they played well and won on so many occasions, outnumbering home support as was the case that day at Bootham Crescent. Sheffield United's manager was Ian Porterfield who is most famous for having scored the winning goal in Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup Final against Leeds United. York managed to score three that day through Keith Walwyn, Gary Ford and an Ian McDonald penalty but the Blades got four thanks to Bob Hatton, a Tony Kenworthy penalty plus a brace from Mike Trusson including the winner.
United, to nobody's great surprise, finished the season as Fourth Division champions by five points from runners-up Bradford City. Also promoted were Wigan Athletic and AFC Bournemouth. York ended the season down in 17th place but that was a major improvement on the previous season's 92nd place (of 92). York were now upwardly mobile and they would achieve their own promotion as champions two years later.
CRB Match No. 129
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