Match programme: York City v Bristol Rovers (2 October 1984)

About this match programme

By Richard Snowball

After creating a Football League record of being the first team to amass more than 100 points in a season (101 to be exact), York City returned to Division Three for the 1984-85 season and had their best ever start.

The match against Bristol Rovers played at Bootham Crescent on October 2, 1984, was the 100th with Denis Smith and Viv Busby at the management helm.

York won 1-0 with a goal from Keith Walwyn (his seventh in the first eight matches).

This victory put York top of Division Three, unbeaten after eight games, winning six and drawing two. The game was watched by a crowd of 7,197.

This result gave Denis Smith/Viv Busby the remarkable record after 100 games of winning 59, drawing 23 and only losing 18, thus totalling 200 points. Their teams had also scored 200 goals in the process and conceded only 104 goals.

York lost their next match, four days later, to Bristol Rover's counterparts, Bristol City, 2-0. A week after this game, York sold John Byrne to Queen’s Park Rangers for £100,000; he had scored 64 goals in 199 appearances.

Unfortunately York could not maintain their wonderful form, but still finished the season in 8th position.

Acknowledgement

This facsimile of the match programme was created by the publisher of There’s Only One Arthur Bottom, the daily email newsletter for fans of York City FC, and TOOAB contributors Richard Snowball, Terry Espiner and Paul Bowser.

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