Match programme: York City v Oldham Athletic (19 October 1974)

About this match programme

By Richard Snowball

York City had started season 1974-75 in Division Two (now the Championship) quite well, losing only four of their opening 13 matches, winning four and drawing the other five.

On October 19, 1974, they travelled to their old rivals from Division Three Oldham Athletic, with whom they had some titanic battles over the previous four or five seasons in Division Three and Four.

It was another tight match with York running out 3-2 victors with goals from Barry Lyons, Ian Holmes and Jimmy Seal in front of a crowd of 12,141 at Boundary Park.

This date therefore marks the highest position York City ever reached in the Football League pyramid, when at 5.00 p.m they sat in fifth place.

Unfortunately they could not maintain this level of form and finished their first season in Division Two in fifteenth place, a magnificent effort.

They achieved notable doubles during the season beating Norwich City twice, who finished third and won promotion, and Fulham, who reached the F.A. Final that year.

In the F.A. Cup they were drawn away to Arsenal and drew 1-1 at Highbury, before losing the replay 3-1 at Bootham Crescent, going down to a Brian Kidd hat-trick in front of a crowd of 15,362.

Club stalwart centre half and local player Chris Topping was voted Clubman of the Year; he was again an ever present in the team and had not missed a game since September, 1970, a feat that would probably not likely be achieved nowadays.

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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