Match programme: York City v Wigan Athletic (27 February 1988)

About this match programme

By Richard Snowball

Following their record breaking 101 points total winning Division Four, York City had three seasons in Division Three under successful managing duo of Denis Smith and Viv Busby, but they left in May 1987.

Bobby Saxton was appointed the club’s new manager for the 1987-88 season and he got off to a disastrous start failing to win any of their first fifteen league games, managing only four draws.

By February 27, 1988, they had only won two of their 32 matches gathering 14 points in the process, and coming into that weekend’s game with Wigan Athletic who had lost their previous seven games.

City put on an improved performance and managed to win 3-1 with two goals from Dale Banton and the other from Ian Helliwell before a crowd of 2,366.

This started a mini-revival and they won five of their remaining 13 matches, finished second from the bottom of the League on 33 points, the same as bottom club Doncaster Rovers, and were relegated back to Division Four.

Dale Banton scored 16 of their 48 goals despite playing only 32 games.

York City had created three unwanted records in the process, winning only eight times, losing 29 and picking up only 33 points. Despite this, the attendances held up quite well, only 700 down on the previous season’s average at 2,754.

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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