Match programme: York City v Rotherham (28 April 1973)

About this match programme

By Richard Snowball

Coming into the last match of the 1972-73 season, York City needed to win to avoid relegation from Division Three, as did their opponents Rotherham United, so a tough hard fought battle was expected.

York had experienced a strange season, not winning any of their first eleven matches and only picking up five points in the process, as well as failing to score a goal in eight of these.

They then had a mid-season run of losing only four of the next twenty one games, winning eleven and drawing six. From the beginning of March they then only won one of the next thirteen matches, again not scoring in nine of these.

All this set up the crunch game with Rotherham United with the losing team almost certain to be relegated.

A crowd of 3,936 watched a tense match with York eventually running out 2-1 winners with goals from full back John Stone and forward Jimmy Seal, only his third goal of the season.

York finished sixth from the bottom, one of four clubs on 41 points with York's strong defence proving the difference having only conceded 46 goals in the 46 matches.

Rotherham finished fourth from the bottom and were relegated along with Brentford, Swansea and Scunthorpe.

For the third successive season popular left back Phil Burrows was an ever present, and during the season Paul Aimson played his last game for the club when he was transferred to Bournemouth after scoring 113 goals in 248 appearances.

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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