SPORT
YORK
This month, our resident sports writer and York City F.C. fan, Simon Pattinson, watches the final pieces of Bootham Crescent go to their new owners. It has been a quiet few weeks whilst I write this column. The end of an era has arrived, as Bootham Crescent, piece by piece is slowly dismantled in front of our eyes. Fans have been collecting their seats (me included) and other various parts of the ground that people have bought during the recent auction (that reminds me, did anyone actually buy the urinals!?). This week it became very real for me when I saw that the ‘Welcome’ sign above the gates of Bootham Crescent had been taken down. This ground has been the heart and soul of a community for 80 years and to see it go, in the way the coronavirus outbreak has forced it to, with many fans not even being able to see us play there once last time is truly heartbreaking. In what have been difficult circumstances, the club’s has done their best with what they can. For us and those who played in the fans match that took place recently, it will be a long-lasting memory that you just can’t beat. It was also very moving watching the floodlight switch off, seeing the glowing white beams that have shone down lighting up the surrounding streets for years. The night lights epitomise
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many York fans’ Tuesday nights at Bootham Crescent. For many football fans, myself included, there is something quite romantic about it. The lights were switched off by long-standing City fan, James - fondly known to many as Trigger, who has supported the club for so many years now home and away and dedicated his time volunteering at the club. It couldn’t have been anyone more deserving. Also as I write this, Liam McGuiness has been appointed as the club’s new commercial manager taking over from the brilliant Chris Pegg and I’m sure he will continue to build on the excellent work Chris has put in place as we move forward into the new stadium. Speaking of which, the new stadium has a friendly fixture to look forward to as York City begin their first pre-season at the community stadium with Newcastle United: announced as one of the first teams to take on the Minstermen there with what I am hoping will be one of many big names to play at the LNER. In that time I also hope that this will be a City side that will have been assembled
in good time to gel and get a better rhythm going than what this season-that-never-was offered. It feels like I can get excited about football again but I know I will be back to disappointment before I know it...! Looking at the Knights it has certainly been a much more difficult start to the season in the Championship, but there is still a way to go yet and hopefully,
COLUMNIST
Simon Pattinson
there is more fortune around the corner for them. The return of Mikey Lewis who comes in from Hull KR and James McDonnell from Wigan Warriors is sure to help bolster the side over the coming weeks and months and more importantly, it is the Knights who will be the first of the two sporting teams at the new stadium to welcome fans and it could not be better timed.
