First and foremost, happy new year to you all! Dusting off the new year's eve hangover was relatively simple given that only two glasses of Cava Brut were downed here at Bar and In H.Q with our trip up north to the medieval city of York to look forward to.
York City are due to move to a new stadium in 2015 after playing at Bootham Crescent since 1932, the stadium will hold around 15,000 fans more in mind of concerts for the city than its football supporters. Still all the more reason to visit a stadium renowned for its 'al fresco' toilets in the away end and generally being more of the gritty sort of venue amongst the plush new bowl's popping up around the country.
The journey to York was a little like the set of Noah's arc as North Yorkshire had been hit badly by flooding with through roads to the city closed on some sides due to the surrounding river's bursting their banks with the nearby racecourse only fit for an extreme version of water polo.
Making it into York, the city was every bit as beautiful as I recall from a school trip in the mid-90's yet I didn't remember us having to pay £7.60 for 4 hours parking in those days, proof if ever that Dick Turpin's legacy wasn't completely wasted on York city council. As I stuck the ticket to the inside window panic suddenly struck as I realised in my haste to get out of the house i'd forgotten to replace my tax disc, blast!
Fearing a visit from the Viking's at the nearby Jorvik centre I left the car hoping by grace of god that officials would be too hungover to bother ticketing or clamping me. A wander up to the Minster and a look around the city walls is highly recommended in York as is a jaunt down the shambles, which would be a word coming to mind a little later on.
Reaching Bootham Crescent from the centre is very easy indeed, from Marygate car park just north of the River Ouse the ground is situated in between two hospitals in a residential area, ah how football used to be. The sight of the floodlights was as welcoming as the viking lookalike on the turnstiles, £16 poorer and I was on the terrace to marvel at the ground in all its...erm...glory.
On first glance the word 'traditional' comes to mind with all four stands different to one another. The away terrace is open and in places crumbling, the stand containing away seating to the one side of the pitch has a 1980's style fence segregating home and away supporters with the covered terrace behind the goal at the home end of similar size, two open corners either side of the seated main stand are filled with a combination of sponsors placards and terraced housing, whens that new stadium opening again? Only joking, love it.
Considering Leeds were playing Bolton just down t'road (as they say in these parts) the support that York have must be applauded, the stands were packed with red and blue shirts. Burton's following was decent considering last nights excesses in Staffordshire, one man ventured onto the terrace, declared he'd consumed 15 banana flavoured sambuca's and waddled off clutching a burger never to be seen again.
The game started on a field Claude Greengrass would have been proud of with Burton playing the long ball game against arguably the tallest back four in the league, bravo Mr Rowett. Aaron Webster had been instilled as centre back with Marcus Holeness after big Zander Diamond pulled out through illness, the partnership was going swimmingly until Anthony O'Connor decided to hack down Alex Rodman to give York a penalty. Jason Walker cooly dispatched the spot kick down the middle giving Lyness in goal no chance.
Thing's didn't get much better for Albion as Lyness received a boot to the ribs while on the deck the unsympathetic home crowd heckled the Albion 'keeper as he took longer than the recommended 30 seconds to make a recovery. The abuse continued and seemed to effect Lyness as he dropped a corner into the path of Patrick McLoughlin for the easiest finish of his 2013. 2-0.
After some tomfoolery from sub's Cleveland Taylor and John McGrath doing impersonations of goalkeeper's at half time in front of the Albion support, the second half began. Albion looked lost and quite frankly devoid of ideas, either that or the new years eve party had lasted beyond the 10pm that Cleveland Taylor had claimed at half time. York were in no mood to relent as Matty Blair ran at the Brewer's back line and unleashed a fierce low drive catching out Lyness at his near post to seal the win for the Minstermen.
Fear's of vikings, clampers and tax-discs came back to mind and with that I ventured back to the city centre looking back at the bright lights of Bootham Crescent and thinking what a shame it will be when it is no longer. York have a truly great set of supporters and even though their ultra-style displays are sadly a thing of the past the numbers have not suffered, add to that a beautiful city and you have 1 x quality away day. Oh and happy new year to the officials of York city council who took mercy on the buffoon who forgot to change his tax disc.
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