Bootham Crescent - It Happened This Day
Chronologically we re-trace the history of Bootham Crescent
01-May-20 Cricket. A York & District XVI (16) side lost a 2 day game by an innings and 153 runs against Yorkshire CCC who included Herbert Sutcliffe in their side at Bootham Crescent. All 16 York players were allowed to bat. It is understood that this was the first occasion a Yorkshire CCC first team played in York. The 1890 county game against Kent was played at the Yorkshire Gentlemen's ground across the Scarborough railway track on their former Wiggington Road ground.
Summer/31 City's first game at Bootham Crescent. They beat York RLFC in a cricket game.
20-Aug-32 First Bootham Crescent game played, the traditional season opener, the First Team ("Blues") drew 3-3 against the Reserves ("Maroons") in front of 3,000. At the same time, 4,500 were at Clarence Street for the York RLFC friendly with Batley.
27-Aug-32 First competitive Bootham Crescent game played. A Midland League match ending York 2 Bradford City 4 (sign of the times, standing admission was 6d (2.5p) for Midland League games) in front of a 3,000 crowd. It cost £6,000 to construct the ground. The Main Stand and Popular Stand were built and drainage was improved.
31-Aug-32 Official opening of Bootham Crescent with a Third Division North game against Stockport County. The club president, Sir John J Hunt (also chairman of Hunts Brewery), formally opened the ground by cutting a chocolate and cream coloured ribbon - the new colours of the club. Also in attendance were the Sheriff of York (Mr Arnold Rowntree), Mr. Roger Lumley MP, Mr. Arnold Kingscott, treasurer of the Football Association, and other personalities in the football world. The attendance was 8,106 (beaten only 3 times in Fulfordgate league games) with receipts of nearly £400. The game ended as a 2-2 draw. City were represented by Duckworth, Archibald, Johnson, G Maskill, Harris, Bolton, Williams, Fenoughty, Baines, McDonald, Mitchell. Tom Mitchell scored first goal and Reg Baines followed with a penalty to earn a 2-2 draw. The ground took just 3 months to build. Hunts Brewery donated refreshments for the occasion.
19-Sep-32 Reg Baines is the first player to score a hat trick at Bootham Crescent.
26-Nov-32 Ground record crowd see City lose 1-3 to Scarborough in an FA Cup tie.
22-Apr-33 New record attendance of 8,673 for a league game see City go down 1-2 against eventual champions Hull.
1933 Temporary floodlights installed in front of the Main Stand for training. FA rules banned lights being used for matches.
01-Aug-33 City reserve sides switches to The Yorkshire League to cut expenses as concerns are raised over the costs involved in the move to Bootham Crescent. Plans to widen approach road to Bootham Crescent would greatly facilitate spectators coming and going from ground are announced. Chairman Arthur Brown publicly thanks Supporters Club having already raised £950 out of £1500 required to provide The Popular Stand.
03-Sep-33 City slump to a record Bootham Crescent defeat when losing 2-6 to Rochdale in front of 4,363.
21-May-34 Crystal beat British Enca by 142-91 in a 2 innings baseball game, the first to be held at Bootham Crescent. John Moores (Littlewoods Pools) was a keen advocate of baseball and was instrumental in forming summer leagues across the country. When Dewsbury Royals folded in 1936, York City Maroons took their place in the 8 team 1937 Yorkshire League attracting around 2,000 for their first home game on 5 May 1937 when The Maroons lost by 9 runs to 3 against Scarborough Sea Gulls. York finished mid table but struggled to build on the opening gate of 2,000 and included Tom Mitchell in some games. Across the city, a local baseball league was founded. In 1938, York City Maroons moved to Clarence Street and finished 10th and bottom of a new enlarged and stronger league which encompassed Yorkshire and Lancashire as the popularity of baseball started to wane. City had several requests for the hire of their ground during the decade, a 1933 request from York Motor Club to hold grass track racing and the British Union of Fascists in 1937 were just 2 of those that were turned down.
12-Jan-35 New record ground attendance of 13,612 see City lose 0-1 to Derby in the FA Cup.
16-Nov-35 City beat Mansfield 7-5 in the highest goals aggregate game ever seen at Bootham Crescent.
29-Feb-36 New Bootham Crescent record low crowd of just 1,811 (down from 3,485 at the previous home game) see City beat Rotherham 2-1, the crowd was affected by a dispute between the Football League and football pools companies (over copyright and payment for use of the fixtures) which meant the scheduled fixture was postponed and the new game only announced the day before meaning the pools companies had very little time to produce their pools coupons.
01-Aug-36 Opening of the Social Club on the current site beside the Main Stand. A new brick based structure was installed on the site a year later. Due to financial difficulties, City asked for a loan to fund it. Only the York & District Loco Brewery offered financial support. The Social Club was to become the home of the Supporters Club. Before 1936, an old wooden hut from the cricket club, furnished with second hand cinema seating served as the social club. The brewery removed the hut (one of 3 buildings in the area of the ground that was later occupied by the gymnasium) and rebuilt it in their own yard. It is believed the olden wooden hut no longer exist. 1931 map of the area.
19-Sep-36 League record attendance of 10,629 see City's good start to season ended by Chester in 0-2 a defeat.
10-Feb-37 Wally Hunt (Rochdale) sent off at Bootham Crescent. He and Jon Wright (Darlington) who was sent off on 23 October 1937 are believed to be the only players sent off at Bootham Crescent pre WW2. Meanwhile on 7 December 1935 at Walsall, inside right Alec Gray became the first City player to be sent off.
17-Mar-37 Only 1,600 see City beat Hartlepools United 5-0 in a midweek afternoon game in the new fangled Third Division North Cup, a forerunner of The Autoglass Cup.
Summer/37 York City Maroons competed at Bootham Crescent in baseball's 8 team Yorkshire League. Along the way, a number of friendlies were also staged, including games against West Ham and Romford. Crowds struggled to top 2,000. The Maroons moved to Clarence Street and an enlarged 10 team league covering Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1938, their second and final season.
16-Aug-37 Official opening of the new Social Club. For many years, the Supporters Club continued to use their former Windmill Hotel HQ on Blossom Street alongside the new venue for their meetings.
01-Sep-37 37/8 Supporters Club (membership 1,489) complete the Popular Stand at cost of £1,500 when their 1932 loan is finally paid off. The Supporters Club "Shilling Fund" (5p) provided much of the funding. Building work had started in 1932 when £500 was raised after Dick Leckenby, a YCFC director, provided the deeds to his home as collateral to allow work to start. Supporters Club members barrow loads of rubbish to form a raised base of The Popular Stand and much more in the way of skilled and unskilled labour. In late 1937, a sign was placed on top of the Popular Stand, the club crest above the words, "Popular Stand - Cost Defrayed By City Supporters Club", it was to remain in place until 1959 when weather beaten, it was replaced by another sign that was to remain in situ until 1978.
08-Jan-38 Ground record attendance of 13,917 see City beat Coventry 3-2 in FA Cup Round 3 replay. Receipts were a record £838.
22-Jan-38 Ground record attendance of 18,795 see Reg Baines score a hat trick as City beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in Round 4 of the FA Cup. Receipts were a record £1,426.
12-Feb-38 Ground record attendance of 23,860 see City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in FA Cup Round 5 thanks to a Peter Spooner goal. Receipts were a record £2,193.
05-Mar-38 All time ground record attendance of 28,123 see City draw 0-0 with Huddersfield Town in FA Cup Round 6. It was the fourth new record in under 2 months and stands to this day. Receipts were a record £2,735. The game also meant City became the only club ever to play at home in 6 rounds of The FA Cup in one season. Town won the Leeds Road replay 2-1 in front of 58,066 with goals by Edwin Watson and Frank Chivers, Huddersfield going all the way to Wembley, where they lost 1-0 after extra time to Preston. Today's Bootham Crescent capacity is less than one third of the all time record. Seating of The Popular Stand, the loss of The Enclosure and today's onerous health and safety regulations help to account for the shortfall.
14-Jan-39 City's all time worst home defeat is witnessed by 3,826 as Rochdale win 7-0.
11-Mar-39 Bootham Crescent hosts a friendly between The Yorkshire League and famous amateur side Corinthians.
26-Aug-39 New season opens at Bootham Crescent with a 2-2 draw with Chester. New Football League regulations saw both teams wearing numbered shirts for the first time.
1940 During World War 2, the tunnel at the back of the Popular Stand was used as an air raid shelter for pupils and staff of the nearby Shipton Street School. War time bombs fell on the Shipton Street end of ground and neighbouring properties. Minor damage was incurred after the air raid on York in April 1942.
01-Feb-41 York 7 Sheffield Wednesday 0. 2,500 see Bert Brenen score 4 in City's win a war time FA Cup tie.
13-Sep-41 More high scoring as City beat Middlesbrough 9-5. Local born George Lee scores 4 and Charlton's Bert 'Sailor' Brown also scores in front of a 3,600 crowd. At the time City's close proximity to army barracks enabled them to field many famous guest players, including several internationals.
22-Nov-41 Legendary England international striker, Dixie Dean, scores on his one City guest appearance in the 3-4 defeat against Gateshead.
29-Apr-42 Bootham Crescent suffers minimal damage as a result of a rare German air raid on York.
1942 and 1943 Bootham Crescent hold 2 school's sports days in each year's summer school holidays as part of the "holidays at home" initiative. Other war time uses of the ground included using the Popular Stand tunnel as an air raid shelter and various armed forces displays.
03-Jan-42 England international, Raich Carter, makes his one City guest appearance in the 3-2 win over Grimsby.
28-Feb-42 5,176 see City beat Leeds 8-1.
17-Oct-42 A representative match was staged in which a Football League XI defeated the Northern Command 9-2, watched by 5,500. After the match, Mr. Fred Howarth, the secretary of the Football League, wrote the following letter to the club: "May I take this opportunity, on behalf of the League, of congratulating your club, directors and officials alike, for the excellence of the arrangements. You will appreciate that always in representative matches our chief concern is the smoothness of the arrangements. You did your part splendidly. The League thanks you for staging the match, which was a complete success, both from the entertainment side and from the financial side. They are grateful for the kindly attention of your directors and will remember with pleasure their first official visit to your lovely city."
23-Jan-43 First live radio broadcast from Bootham Crescent as City run out convincing 4-0 winners over Sunderland.
24-Apr-43 City's war time record crowd of 16,350 see City crash out of the FA Cup when they can only draw 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday in the semi final second leg.
28-Oct-44 City 10 Gateshead 2 in front of 1,500.
01-Dec-44 Bootham Crescent hosted a Bradford A v Gateshead game as Park Avenue was unavailable.
27-Apr-45 2,106 see City's lose their last home war time game 1-2 against Hartlepools United. A few weeks earlier over 10,000 had seen City bow out of the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday when losing 1-6.
29-Apr-05 Post WW2. In the early post-war period, considerable improvements were made to the ground. Progress was initially slow as materials were diverted to other post WW2 re-building works. Deeper drainage was completed, the Bootham Crescent end banking was concreted (summer 1947), the Popular Stand steps were concreted (first 5 rows in summer 1948 and the rest a year later), Shipton Street end concreted (first 24 steps in 1948) and tannoy equipment was installed. By 1950, the ground's capacity was quoted as 23,000.
19-Oct-46 Post war boom in soccer attendances. City attracted a new record attendance for a league game when 15,485 see Doncaster win 4-1. Fearing delays in admitting spectators, due to large numbers expected and the need to give out change, for the first time for a league game, City sold match day tickets in advance. At the same time, they asked fans to "pair up" and pay their half a crown (12.5p) admission fee thus avoiding the need to give out change. That season, 2 of City's home league games attracted 5 figure attendances.
02-Nov-46 City's league game against Stockport was selected by the BBC for live second half national radio commentary. Making his debut as a commentator on national radio was Kenneth Wolstenholme.
26-May-47 City beat Halifax 2-0 in the latest ever game to be played in a season at Bootham Crescent due to the severe winter.
1947/8 That season, 6 of City's home league games attracted 5 figure attendances, 14,125 against Hull being the biggest.
30-Aug-47 Alf Patrick becomes the first City player ever to score 4 goals in a game.
1948/9 That season, 10 of City's home league games attracted 5 figure attendances, 21,010 against Hull being the biggest. City set a never to be beaten, all time record average home league attendance of 10,409. Even reserve games were well attended, a massive 3,591 saw the reserve game with Scunthorpe.
01-Sep-48 At the shareholders' annual meeting, it was announced that the club had agreed to purchase the Bootham Crescent ground which had been on lease since 1932. The chairman, Mr. W.H. Sessions, stated that an agreement had been signed and felt that the club now owned one of the best grounds in the Third Division. The deal was formally signed on 19 October 1948. The balance sheet revealed that the ground was bought for £4,075 and the buildings, which cost £7,444, had been depreciated so that the whole ground and equipment was listed at £7,204 at current value in 1949. To celebrate the purchase of the ground, a dinner was held at the Royal Station Hotel at which the deeds were handed to the chairman. Among those present were past and present directors and many enthusiasts who had worked over the years for the club. Also in attendance was the club's first captain back in 1922, Billy Smith.
20-Nov-48 Watch York City 6 Rotherham 1, filmed by Coal Board for a documentary and watched by a new home record league gate of 19,216 (record receipts of £1,271). Alf Patrick becomes the first City player ever to score 5 goals in a game.
01-Dec-50 Harold Dennis became the first City player to be dismissed at Bootham Crescent when sent off in a reserve game against Halifax.
09-May-51 First of 2 friendlies against Republic Of Ireland teams to mark the centenary of the 1851 Great Exhibition. City beat Sligo 4-0 and Transport 5-0 a week later watched by a disappointing combined attendance of under 5,000.
Summer/51 First known instance of tarmac in the car park. Personal recollections are of it being a pot holed area as late as the 1970s.
Early 1950s First known instance of "dugouts" at the ground. Essentially a wooden bench enclosed in a wooden frame, they occasionally moved position which indicated a portable structure. There was no dug out element of placing them below ground level.
23-Apr-49 City set an all time record attendance for a home league game when 21,010 (receipts of £1,451 12/6) see City go down 1-3 to Hull. 3 weeks earlier, over 40,000 had seen City win 3-2 at Hull.
10-May-52 England met Ireland in the first Schoolboy international to be played at Bootham Crescent. The attendance was 16,000 and England, who won 5-0, were captained by Wilf McGuinness, who was later to manage York City.
Summer/54 Wire mesh placed over the players' gangway where they emerge from the tunnel and pass through the enclosure.
01-Aug-54 Season starts with over 23,000 through the turnstiles for the first 2 home games of the season. Did they know something was about to happen as Arthur Bottom scored a hat trick on his debut on the first day of the season.
19-Feb-55 21,000 see City's historic 3-1 win over Spurs in Round 5 of the FA Cup. The game was one of 5 successive games to attract attendances of over 10,000 to Bootham Crescent.
1954/5 That season, 9 of City's home league games attracted 5 figure attendances, 19,843 against Accrington being the biggest.
01-Jun-55 In the summer, major work was carried out to extend the Main Stand towards Shipton Street. Look closely and to this day you will spot the join where the last quarter (nearest the Longhurst end) was added to The Main Stand. This was named "Section D" with lettering starting from the Social Club end. Around 1983, the middle sections were merged and all were "re-lettered" starting with "Section A" at the Shipton Street end. Profits from the FA Cup run, together with a Stand Extension Fund, helped in this project. A side effect of the work was the removal of the ivy which had been allowed to grow across the back of the Main Stand. On April 6, a fund was set up to cover the cost of the Main Stand extension. With donations from local firms, the directors (£250), Social Club (£500), Supporters & Auxiliary Branch (£315) and others, £2,300 was raised in a month. The fund closed in June with £5,455 raised. A further £900 was also spent on ground improvements that summer. Original plans were to provide 700 extra bench seats were scaled back to 350. As part of the extension, wooden stairs at both ends of The Main Stand (which allowed an additional entry / exit point to the seats) and a wooden gantry used by cameraman were demolished. A cycle park was made available "behind the grandstand" and due to the rise in car ownership, car parking in Grosvenor Road and vehicular access down Bootham Crescent was banned. The total cost of improvements that summer was about £6,500.
1955/6 Cup fever rubs off as City set an all time club record for highest league seasonal attendance of 236,685 (average 10,290). That season, 10 of City's home league games attracted 5 figure attendances, 14,976 against Derby being the biggest. Also, for the first time in City's history, average league attendance (home and away topped 10,000), subsequently only achieved once more, in 1974/5.
27-Dec-55 Arthur Bottom became the first City player to be dismissed in a first team match at Bootham Crescent after he received 2 cautions. He was also sent off in the home against Carlisle (16 September 1957).
28-Jan-56 22,000 see City draw 0-0 with Sunderland in the FA Cup Round 4. City lose replay. FA regulations mean that due to the colour clash, both teams must change kit, City play in blue shirts / white shorts and Sunderland play in black and white.
01-Jun-56 A 35 foot high concrete wall is built at the St Olave's Road (Bootham Crescent) end. The project cost around £2,500 (plus free labour from the Supporters Club) and had a two-fold purpose - a safety precaution and a support for additional banking and terracing. Previously advertising hoardings marked the edge of Bootham Crescent and the Grosvenor Road end had shallow banking which only extended part way towards the hoarding. The work saw the exit gate, near the Social Club installed and the wide banked steps built. The FA Cup tie in 1955 against Tottenham Hotspur had been restricted to a 21,000 capacity by the police, but with the improvements made the limit had risen to 23,600 when Bolton Wanderers provided the opposition in January 1958. The works also saw foundations for the floodlights, including some electrics, to be installed in that corner of the ground.
13-Aug-56 7,099 turn up for the hastily re-arranged but traditional annual pre season practice match between City's probables and possibles It was the first time Barry Jackson had been seen in a City shirt. Heavy rain had seen the fixture postponed 2 days earlier.
01-Nov-56 Regular home match commentary, organised by the hospital's league Of Friends, for local hospitals started. A commentary booth is built, believed at the rear of the Main Stand, previously some games had had commentary relayed to York's hospitals. Costs will have been around £500 for the broadcasting equipment and private exchange lines to several local hospitals plus an annual line rental of £80. City allocated £48 towards the costs and allowed "The Friends" one ground blanket collection per season.
25-Dec-56 Last Xmas day football at Bootham Crescent. We drew 3-3 with Hartlepools United (as they were known in those days).
02-Feb-57 Arthur Bottom scores 4 times as City record their biggest ever when beating Southport 9-1 in front of 8,801 at Bootham Crescent.
Summer/57 £4,500 spent to improve the Social Club, including provision of an upper floor and what was later to become the game's room and player's bar. Wooden tea bar structures in the area removed and replaced by a brick built structure which allowed refreshments to be served to people on the terraces (until eth serving hatch was bricked up in the 1970s) and also outside the car park. Also some additional works on Grosvenor Road frontage.
26-Aug-57 City beat Bradford City 2-0 in the opening home game of the season. The big talking point was the absence of the 5 minutes flag. The flagpole had been snapped in 2 (about 3 yards from the top) in gales over the weekend. A new flagpole was in place for the next game. flagpole in action
31-Aug-57 City and Barrow draw 0-0 in a Bootham Crescent game chosen by the BBC for live second half radio commentary.
25-Jan-58 23,600, a post war record, see City draw 0-0 with Bolton in the FA Cup Round 4. City lose replay.
Summer/58 2 year pitch improvement plan starts with the installation of a new drainage system followed by ploughing and re-seeding.
01-Aug-58 Bryan Foster joined the groundstaff. He duly became head groundsman and, apart from a period 1971 to 1975 when he held similar appointments at Bury and then Preston, he has served the club until his untimely death. For many years the Bootham Crescent pitch has had an excellent playing surface and in recognition of his long and outstanding service, Bryan was presented with a gold watch by the directors in March 1988.
26-Dec-58 Highest home attendance of season (10,382) see City beat Barrow 1-0. City ended the season with our first ever promotion.
01-Jun-59 Floodlights (24 bulbs per pylon, 3 rows of 8 with scope for another row) were installed at the ground, at the cost of £14,500, a substantial sum of which much was raised by the Auxiliary Club. The installation was based on a system of lighting developed by the General Electric Company Ltd, who designed and supervised the project. Messrs Shepherds of York were responsible for the concrete bases and erection of the four 100 feet Tubewright Towers, each carrying 24 specially designed GEC 1,500 floodlight units. The electrical sub-contractors were Messrs F.H. Wheeler of Scunthorpe.
24-Aug-59 City beat Bury 2-0 in fading light as the referee insists the new floodlights are switched on. The lights had been tested during a pre season friendly and training sessions.
05-Sep-59 City lose 2-1 to Halifax. Play was suspended for a few minutes when the referee, Mr Kelly, was knocked unconscious from a clearance.
07-Sep-59 City beat QPR 2-1 in a game that is advertised as "Second half under floodlights". The 10,538 crowd triggered a bonus payment to the players for a five figure crowd. The success of the lights meant City standardised on 3pm / 7:30pm kick off times with Friday night football becoming a regular occurrence. Previously as the nights drew in, City would have up to 10 different kick off times during the season.
28-Oct-59 Official opening of floodlights. City lose 2-8 in friendly against Newcastle in front of a 9,414 crowd (£825 receipts). Len White (3), Ivor Allchurch (2), George Eastham, Bobby Mitchell and Bobby Gilfinnan scored for The Magpies.
02-Apr-60 Bootham Crescent hosts its second ever schoolboy international as England beat Northern Ireland by 4-1 in front of 10,000. Contrast that to City's attendance a week later.