CHESTERFIELD officially became York City’s biggest bogey side in the domestic game’s top four divisions this week.

Tuesday night’s 2-0 reverse at Bootham Crescent left North Yorkshire’s only professional club without a win in 18 matches against their Derbyshire nemesis.

That now represents a longer sequence than any City have suffered in meetings with all the other 90 teams currently plying their trade in the Premier League and the Football League.

In fact, since they last defeated Chesterfield, the Minstermen have beaten both Manchester clubs, as well as Everton.

They also tasted victory in their last meetings with London giants Arsenal and Tottenham.

Goals from Eoin Doyle and Gary Roberts, though, moved the Spireites one game clear of the 17-match unbeaten run Bristol City have enjoyed against City since John Byrne (2) and Brian Pollard were on target in a 3-0 home win in February 1983.

Chesterfield have been more frequent adversaries in recent times than the Ashton Gate outfit and were last overcome by City at their old Saltergate ground in 1992 when strikers Glenn Naylor (2) and Ian Blackstone were the visitors’ marksmen during a 3-1 triumph.

Since then, the Minstermen have endured 11 defeats and shared the spoils seven times, scoring ten goals and conceding 28.

The ominous news for Nigel Worthington’s team is that Fleetwood Town will take their place in the top-ten list of City’s bogey teams if they avoid defeat at Highbury today.

Then Cheltenham – who lie fifth on that list – can stretch their run without a loss against the Minstermen to double figures next weekend and join a select group who currently boast that record, consisting of Chesterfield, Bristol City, Bradford and Barnsley.

Aside from West Ham, Ipswich and MK Dons – each of whom City have never met in a first-team fixture – there are only six sides – Liverpool, Newcastle, Stoke, Leeds, Yeovil and Sheffield United – who have never been defeated by a club, whose crowning moments include reaching the 1955 FA Cup semi-finals and becoming the first to rack up 100 points in a Football League season.

From that sextet, the Blades boast the longest unbeaten record against the Minstermen, encompassing eight games that stretch back 83 years to 1931.

 

Academy tie-up

GRASSROOTS clubs are being invited to form a partnership with the York City Academy.

The scheme is being undertaken to fulfil the requirements of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) and is designed to be mutually beneficial.

Its two-fold aim is to provide a route into a professional academy for talented youngsters between the ages of nine and 16, whilet also offering a suitable exit route for players who leave the academy system between those ages.

Ideally, interested clubs should have Charter Standard status or be working towards achieving it.

City’s academy will also educate coaches and assist in other areas of club development.

The desire is to establish a reasonable geographical spread of clubs to broaden the Minstermen’s scouting catchment area and to provide the best opportunity for released academy players to find appropriate coaching at a local team.

There will be no financial commitments from either party.

Anybody interested can email academy manager Tony Mee at academy@yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk or phone 01904 559507.

 

Fletcher arrows to the top after denying Lowe

WES FLETCHER has won The Press’ January Player of the Month award.

The Minstermen’s top scorer held off a challenge from nearest rival Keith Lowe to take the honours.

Lowe was our man of the match during last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Hartlepool to pick up three points towards the standings.

He also collected the two bonus points on offer following the Victoria Park clash after polling the most man-of-the-match votes from visitors to The Press website and followers of the @daveflett Twitter account.

Lowe then further narrowed the gap to Fletcher with another two points as our second- highest rated player in Tuesday night’s 2-0 reverse against Chesterfield.

But the ex-Burnley striker, left, who also heads our Player of the Year competition by a point from Lowe and Josh Carson, made sure of the prize by topping the online and Twitter man-of-the-match poll.

The other points, handed out after the Chesterfield match, went to our star man Nick Pope (three) and our third-highest rated performer John McCombe (one).

Against Hartlepool, Pope (two) and Michael Coulson (one) were also rewarded for their efforts.

To be in with a chance of presenting the February Player of the Month with his prize – a framed photograph – before a match at Bootham Crescent, vote for your man of the match from today’s away game at Fleetwood or tweet @daveflettpress.

The Press Player of the Year latest standings: Fletcher 20 points, Carson 19, Lowe 19, McGurk 18, Oyebanjo 15, O’Neill 14, Brobbel 11, Montrose 11, Jarvis 9, Parslow 8, Ingham 7, Pope 7, Smith 7, Bowman 5, Chambers 5, Coulson 5, Davies 5, Clay 4, Penn 3, Puri 2, Whitehouse 2, Kettings 1, McCombe 1.

The Press Player of the Month for January final standings: Fletcher 12, Lowe 9, Ingham 5, Pope 5, McGurk 4, Penn 4, Coulson 3, Montrose 2, Bowman 1, Carson 1, Jarvis 1, McCombe 1.

Goals: Fletcher 11, Jarvis 9, Bowman 6, Brobbel 3, Carson 3, Coulson 1, McGurk 1, Montrose 1, O’Neill 1, Own goal 1.

Assists: O’Neill 5, Carson 4, Coulson 4, Bowman 3, Brobbel 3, Fletcher 3, Jarvis 3, Clay 2, McGurk 2, Smith 2, Cresswell 1, Davies 1, Fyfield 1, Ingham 1, Montrose 1, Oyebanjo 1.

Bad boys: Montrose ten yellow cards; Oyebanjo, Whitehouse both six yellow; O’Neill, Smith both four yellow; Bowman two red, one yellow; Carson, Lowe, McGurk all three yellow; Cresswell one red, one yellow; Davies, Fyfield, Jarvis, Platt all two yellow; Chambers, Clay, Coulson, Hayhurst, Parslow all one yellow.