THE last time York City super fan John Uttley missed a home game The Commodores were number one with “Three Times A Lady” and Chelsea were about to finish bottom of the old First Division table.

Michael Ingham, meanwhile, was yet to be born despite being the eldest member of the current City squad at the age of 31.

Having attended Tuesday night’s Bootham Crescent clash against Barrow, Uttley is now planning to rack up a 34th successive season without missing a home match in league and cup competitions.

It’s an incredible run encompassing 1,625 games, during which time the telesales rep has gone from being a 14-year-old schoolboy to a 47-year-old father of three.

He has also seen 15 managers come and go, while witnessing just two promotion campaigns and three relegations.

Ignoring the several hours of stoppage time, Uttley has seen all but 15 minutes of the last 2,437½ that have been played at Bootham Crescent.

Providing an explanation for the lost quarter of an hour, he told The Press: “I used to catch the Coastliner bus service from Leeds to matches and, for one game in the 1983/4 season, it was late so I was in a mad rush to get to the ground and missed the first 15 minutes.”

Other than that anxious episode, a combination of forward planning, like-minded friends and luck regarding his health have ensured Uttley has not missed a single second more during a 33-year long pilgrimmage to Bootham Crescent.

He added: “I got married in the summer and my children were born in the summer. You have to plan these things meticulously.

“I’ve been fortunate as well in that I’ve never had any tricky dilemmas or been put in difficult situations because most people I know have got married outside the football season as well.

“I was once really ill in the 1980s with something bordering on pneumonia and I’d have missed a match then but, luckily, the game was called off and that news acted like a tonic because I started getting better and was fine for the next home fixture.”

Uttley’s first match in his uninterrupted run was a 5-3 victory over Portsmouth at the start of the 1978/9 season when Gordon Staniforth and Kevin Randall both bagged braces and Charlie Wright was manager.

His first-ever game had come just over a year earlier though when he persuaded his Leeds United-supporting father to accompany him to Bootham Crescent.

Deciding against the easy option of supporting his bigger home-town team, Uttley, who still lives in Leeds, was immediately seduced by City.

“My dad took me to watch Leeds when I was about eight or nine but I never really enjoyed it,” he remembered. “Then I asked him to take me to Bradford one Easter because I used to like their colours and that’s as good a reason as any for supporting a team when you’re growing up.

“They played Crewe one day and then York the next and my Dad said that, being from East Leeds, I’d be better off following York than Bradford. The first game we went to was a 0-0 draw with Wrexham on April 12, 1977, but I was hooked for life.”

There have been good times, but more bad since, with Uttley still recalling the highest and lowest points vividly.

“The FA Cup win against Arsenal in 1985 stands out as being the most memorable game,” he smiled. “I was 21 at the time so we went out for a few drinks afterwards.

“We’d just had the record-breaking season in the Fourth Division but, before that, we’d been used to fighting re-election every year so, when we beat Arsenal, it was the first time I shed a tear following City because I was overcome with emotion.”

Tears of sadness followed, though, five years later following one of the most tragic incidents in English football.

“The lowest moment was when David Longhurst collapsed on the pitch and died,” said Uttley.

“I can remember going to the club shop at half-time and seeing the ambulance in the car park with David’s girlfriend shaking as she tried to drink a cup of tea.

“Then, when we went back into the ground, the news came over the tannoy that the game had been abandoned due to the serious situation.

“It was an exceptionally sad day that put everything into perspective and I can remember getting back into the car with Radio York playing classical music rather than reporting on football.”

Now chairman of City supporters group the Harrogate Minstermen, Uttley admitted that he loves the camaraderie between fans at Bootham Crescent as much as the football itself.

“Following City like I have done doesn’t control your life, it’s more a way of life,” he points out. “I’ve got so much pleasure from building up relationships with City supporters over the years.

“My 16-year-old daughter Amy has been bitten by the bug now and I’m really pleased that she gets enjoyment out of it too.”


Jason walks the line as The Press gong pace-setter

JASON Walker’s sensational start to his York City career has placed him as the early front-runner in The Press Player of the Year competition.

The former Barrow forward has won our man-of-the-match award in each of his first two competitive outings for the Minstermen to pick up a maximum six points towards the standings.

Matty Blair and Ashley Chambers are his nearest rivals, having collected two points each after being our second-highest rated players against Barrow and Ebbsfleet respectively.

Left-back James Meredith and summer signing Adriano Moké, meanwhile, have a point apiece as our third-highest rated players in the respective Barrow and Ebbsfleet wins.

Walker, pictured, also heads the Player of the Month standings after picking up the two bonus points on offer for the player who polled most online man-of-the-match votes at Ebbsfleet from visitors to our website.

That honour went to Blair after the 3-1 Barrow victory.

Don’t forget to vote for your City man of the match from today’s home game against Telford by visiting our website thepress.co.uk

By doing so, you could also win the chance to present the August Player of the Month winner with a framed photograph before a City home match.

The Press Player of the Year standings: Walker 6 points, Blair 2, Chambers 2, Meredith 1, Moké 1.

The Press Player of the Month standings: Walker 8, Blair 4, Chambers 2, Meredith 1, Moké 1.

Assists: Chambers 2, Meredith 1, Oyebanjo 1, Potts 1.

Bad boys: Smith 2 yellow; McGurk 1 yellow, Walker 1 yellow.