| Like many treasures
in York, Bootham Crescent [map] is well hidden.
However, the home of York City rings out every match
day giving a clue as to its whereabouts.
The club, currently plying their trade in the National
Conference League, was established in 1908 and joined
the York City and District
Football Association.
Their first ground was at Holgate Road and spectators
had to endure the match from a grandstand on loan from
York Racecourse.
The excitement of joining the Football League in 1914
was quickly tempered when the club went bankrupt in
1917. A return to league action had to wait until 1922,
when the club was re-homed at Heslington Lane. They were
finally re-elected to the Football League in 1929.
Bootham Crescent became home in 1932, with the first
match a 2-2 draw with Stockport County.
Although a club with a chequered and somewhat under-achieving
history, City became the first Football League club
to hit 100 points in a season in 1984 and won the
Division Four Championship for their efforts.
Cash-strapped and a perennial struggler, the club still
has tremendous potential. A move has been mooted to
a new all-seater stadium on the edge of the city, where
they could yet shine.
Glorious moments have, however, included a shock 3-0 victory
over Manchester United in the second round of the Coca-Cola
Cup in 1994/95, a similar giant-killing act over
Everton in the same competition the following season and Alan Little guiding the team and 10,000 fans to
a promotion-winning play-off final at Wembley at the end
of the 1992/93 season.
But those really great days are yet to come.
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