PETER Pink has watched his last match as a York City supporter after more than 50 years following the Minstermen.

Bootham Crescent resident Peter, 76, watched last Saturday's home game against Crawley Town as a guest in the directors' box after decades as a Main Stand season-ticket holder.

He is now in the process of moving to Wales, where he will be closer to his youngest son's family, but admits that Saturday afternoons might feel a little peculiar in the future.

He said: "I shall miss going to watch City. I've had happy and bad memories and been going for a long time and it has been part of my routine in life for years.

"The nearest team to where we are moving is Aberystwyth, who are a League of Wales side and I could get there in three-quarters of an hour as the bus services are good but my grandson plays for Lampeter and I might go and watch them because they are a decent outfit."

Peter also used to provide lodgings for the club's younger players with hot-shot Ted MacDougall, who later played for Manchester United and Scotland, being one of the family's guests.

"Ted MacDougall stopped with us as when he came from Liverpool he was only on £10 a week," Peter recalled. "The goalkeeper Mike Walker, who later went on to manage Everton and Norwich and whose son Ian played for England, also used to come round and play Subbuteo."

Peter, who worked for the Evening Press as an advertising rep between 1957 and 1969, counts Arthur Bottom as the finest player he has seen represent the club and has some great memories of the famous Happy Wanderer, saying: "I used to live down Haxby Road and Arthur Bottom worked for the Co-op and, on a Saturday morning, you used to see him galloping back down Haxby Road in a horse and cart from doing his milk round to get back to the club in time to play.

"In fact, during the summer period, most of the players went to New Earswick to paint houses for the council to earn money but times have changed and I don't know whether that's been for the best. It was unbelievable how hard Bottom and Norman Wilkinson used to play.

"It's hard to compare them with modern players because they used a different, heavier ball. I'll never know how Wilkinson used to head them with his bald head and I remember one match when Bottom hit the ball, the keeper jumped up and caught it but the force of it carried him into the net.

"Another time, he scored a goal that went through the net. Who knows what he could have done today's type of ball.

"I also thought Keith Walwyn was a fantastic fellow and a true footballer, who was always fair."

Peter was present at both 1955 FA Cup semi-final matches and, understandably, rates the first match against Newcastle as the highlight of his City-supporting years.

He said: "That performance was the best but there was a great atmosphere at both games. I remember being at the replay and there were lots of Sunderland fans there supporting City.

"The local derbies against Hull in the 1950s were also fantastic occasions. You used to get nearly 30,000 people in the ground all standing and there was no aggravation. Going to Wembley in 1993, of course, was also very special."

Peter has seen 20 different managers at the helm during his half-a-century following the Minstermen and, as he departs foe the valleys, believes the club could be in safe hands.

He said: "I think old-school managers - the kind that do training, coaching and everything else - have been the best for York City. Billy McEwan could fall into that category.

"What I like about him is he's never satisfied. He always wants better and I think the club needs that attitude.

"Denis Smith is probably the best we have had. He did so much for the club and was so professional."

Updated: 10:32 Saturday, August 20, 2005