1929-1932

1929: Election to the Football League

During the summer of 1929 York City made a fourth application to join the football league. Batters (2008) notes that the size of the city, the capacity of the ground (17,000) and a firm financial footing made the club an appealing prospect. And so it proved. York City were elected to the football league on 3rd June, 1929, replacing Ashington. The votes were cast as follows:

Hartlepools (Football League) 33 votes. Re-elected to D3N.
York City (Midland League) 24 votes. Elected to D3N.
Ashington (Football League) 14 votes. Failed re-election.
Mansfield Town (Midland League) 14 votes.
​Manchester Central (Lancashire Combination) 2 votes.
Prescot Cables (Lancashire Combination) 1 vote.
Chester (Cheshire League) 0 votes.
Rhyl (Welsh National League North) 0 votes.
Workington (North-Eastern League) 0 votes.
Connah's Quay (Welsh National League North) Withdrawn.

Three unsuccessful applications to join the football league had already been made, the results of which can be seen below: 

1922
Halifax Town (42), re-elected to D3N.
Rochdale (31) re-elected to D3N.
Doncaster Rovers (9).
New Brighton (7).
York City (1).

1927
​Accrington Stanley (36), re-elected to D3N.
Barrow (30), re-elected to D3N.
​Mansfield Town (8).
York City (6).
Carlisle United (5).
Blyth Spartans (3).

​1928
​Nelson (37), re-elected to D3N. 
Carlisle United (33), elected to D3N.
​Durham City (11), failed re-election.
York City (7).
Chester (2).

Number of votes received in parentheses.

Maroon takes over

It seems that a minor change in identity accompanied the arrival of league football at Fulfordgate, with the return of solid maroon shirts. The fate of the old striped shirts is unknown and it is possible that they were kept for use as a change kit. At first glance, this jersey is very similar to earlier maroon shirts, but on closer inspection the collar now appears to be slightly rounder and the ringlets are more subtle. We can deduce that the shirt has retained ringlets because the front of the shirt could still be tightened with laces, a common feature of contemporary football shirts. The laces, where present, do not stand out from the shirt in the team photograph below, so we can assume they are dark (probably maroon or black).

ABOVE: York City vs Doncaster Rovers, 21st December, 1929. BACK: Harry Beck, Charlie Davis, Jack Brooks, Jack Farmery, Sam Johnson,
​Oliver Thompson & Hughie 'Spud' Murphy (Trainer). FRONT: Sam Evans, Billy Bottrill, Wally Gardner, Tom Fenoughty & George Sharpe.

1931: A white change kit

Given that this shirt appears to be identical in design to the maroon home kit, it is assumed that a set of white away kits was purchased or donated at the same time, which would actually date this kit to 1929. This can not be proved yet as the only photograph that can be found features the 1931/32 squad (see below).

ABOVE: Walsall vs York City, December 12th, 1931. BACK: Joe Harris, Mr. Leach (Director), David Archibald, Ralph Ridley, Sam Johnson, Director & Ollie Thompson. Front: Dan Kelly, Tom Brewis, Reg Baines, Tommy McDonald, Peter Spooner & Harry Beck.

Season 1929/30: Third Division North

​Manager: Jock Collier
​Captain: Oliver Thompson
Final position: 6th (22 teams)
Top scorer: Billy Bottrill & Tom Fenoughty (20)
F.A. Cup: Round 3

Saturday, 31st August, 1929
First league game: Wigan Borough 0-2 YORK CITY
Goals: Reg Stockill & Jimmy Cowie
Team: Farmery, Archibald, Johnson, Beck, Davis, Thompson, Evans, Gardner, Cowie, Smiles & Stockill.
Attendance: 8,880
Notes: Reg Stockill entered the record books for two reasons: scoring York's first league goal and becoming the club's youngest ever player at 15 years and 281 days.

Wednesday, 4th September, 1929
First home league game: YORK CITY 0-0 Wrexham
Team: Farmery, Archibald, Johnson, Beck, Davis, Thompson, Evans, Gardner, Cowie, Smiles & Millar.
Attendance: 8,726
Notes: The Wall Street Crash began on this day.

LEFT: York City 1-2 Newcastle United, 15th January, 1930. 
Wally Garner (L) in action during the F.A. Cup replay at Fulfordgate. The attendance of 12, 583 was a record for the ground at the time but surpassed almost exactly a year later by the visit of Sheffield United at the same stage of the competition (12, 721).

Season 1930/31: Third Division North

​Manager-secretary: George 'Billy' Sherrington
​Captain: Oliver Thompson
Final position: 12th (22 teams)
F.A. Cup: Round 3
Top scorer: Tom Fenoughty (17)

RIGHT: The Citizen, 1930/31 and 1931/32. Both programmes
confirm first-choice colours as "Maroon jerseys, white knickers"​.

Season 1931/32: Third Division North

​Manager-secretary: George 'Billy' Sherrington
​Captain: Oliver Thompson
Final position: 9th (22 teams)
F.A. Cup: Round 1
Top scorer: Reg Baines (29)

RIGHT: York City 7-2 Halifax Town, April 23rd, 1932. 
Richard Thornton makes a save as Joe Harris (R) looks on.

Saturday, 23rd April, 1932
Final game at Fulfordgate: YORK CITY 7-2 Halifax Town
Team: Thornton, Archibald, Johnson, Beck, Harris, Thompson, Jenkinson, Fenoughty, Baines, McDonald & Spooner.
Goals: Reg Baines (3), Tommy McDonald (2), Matt 'Sailor' Jenkinson & Tom Fenoughty.
Attendance: 2154

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