York City v Rushden & Diamonds

Saturday 4^th September 2010 15:00

Blue Square Bet Premier

Bootham Crescent, York

Rushden & Diamonds travel to York on Saturday for their seventh visit to Bootham Crescent. The fixture always brings back special memories for Diamonds fans, as this was the venue for their first ever league game back in 2001.

Our Opponents

York City were formed in 1922, and first reached the Football League in 1929. They reached the old Division 2 in the early 1970's, but in their league history they only won one league title - the old Division 4 in 1983/84 - the equivalent title to that won by the Diamonds in 2003. They had to apply for re-election seven times whilst a league team, but in 2004 they lost their league status, dropping into the Conference, and have now been a non-league team for the past seven seasons, and now are the second longest current serving team in this league. Diamonds legend Ray Warburton was a York City player for over four seasons.

The Minstermen have been playing at Bootham Crescent for over 75 years. Perhaps their most notable moments have been via FA Cup success including the victory over Arsenal in 1985, with the winning goal scored by Keith Houchen, who was to go on to Wembley glory with Coventry City two years later. They are now managed by Martin Foyle who took them to the Conference playoff final last season, and then made several new signings during the summer. Last season's top scorer Richard Brodie left the club earlier this week, meaning increased responsibilities for ex-Diamond Michael Rankine. Craig Farrell was on York's books before he joined the Diamonds.

Getting There and the Ground

Directions from the official York City Site are as follows:-

Exit A64 at signpost York North A1237, Harrogate A59. At the 1st roundabout, go straight on (signposted York North, Harrogate) onto the A1237. Stay on A1237 for approximately 5 miles, over 3 roundabouts and over the River Ouse. At the 4th roundabout, turn right (signposted York Centre A19) onto Shipton Road, follow for approximately 1.5 miles and at the lights by the village green go straight on (signposted City Centre). After half a mile turn left by the Burton Stone Pub onto Burton Stone Lane, take the 1st right onto Grosvenor Road and follow to the ground.

The ground address is: York City Football Club, Bootham Crescent, York, YO30 7AQ Telephone 0870 7771922.

Finding free street parking in the vicinity of Bootham Crescent is an increasing challenge, and the city car parks are quite expensive for those not living in the city - expect to pay over £7 for four hours - details here. There are various Park and Ride sites around the city for those planning a longer stay - details here.

The Travel Club are planning to run a coach for this fixture, subject to demand, which will depart Rushden (Lightstrung) at 8:15am and Nene Park at 8:30am. Seats are £17.

Train travel to York is an option - with the most frequent service being on the East Coast line via Peterborough with connections from Huntingdon or St Neots. Travel from Wellingborough or Kettering will typically require two changes of train - the adult fare for advance tickets is around £29 return, but the fares on the day will be higher. Details of how to find the ground from the station are here.

York has many other attractions such as York Minster, Yorvik Centre, National Railway Museum, York Castle Museum, as well as all of the shopping options, including the Shambles - so those of you making a day trip of it (or longer), may want to check out the York Tourist Board site Visit York

Previous Matches

The Diamonds remained unbeaten when playing York City in their first two seasons of league football, prior to winning the Division 3 title. The Minstermen had dropped out of the league in 2004 when the Diamonds returned to League 2.  The most memorable of the previous games is, of course, the first one, which was the Diamonds first game, and first victory, in League Football.

The team for that first game in league football on 11^th August 2001 was:-

Billy Turley, Tarkan Mustafa, Paul Underwood, Gary Mills, Mark Peters, Jim Rodwell, Garry Butterworth, Jon Brady, Justin Jackson, Warren Patmore, Daniel Talbot with subs Gary Setchell, Duane Darby and Shaun Carey. Daniel Talbot made his first start in a league game that day, and of course, Warren Patmore was making his debut for the club.

The Diamonds travelled to Bootham Crescent last season for the first away game of the campaign, and gained a point from an even game that ended goalless. The team was: Dale Roberts, Curtis Osano, Kurt Robinson, Jamie Stuart (Capt), Michael Corcoran, Max Porter, Rob Wolleaston, Lee Tomlin (James Reid 59), Aaron O'Connor (Cliff Akurang 63), Craig Farrell, Neil Cousins.

Links

Official Site