Recorded at Haxby Sports Bar back in January, this live event featured former player and BBC radio pundit Iain Dunn and club legend David McGurk. Iain speaks about growing up as a supporter, being a ball boy to fulfilling a childhood dream of playing at Bootham Crescent whilst David recalls many stories from his ten years representing the Minsterme…

Manny Duku has had an interesting career as a professional footballer. From being disillusioned at things not working out in Holland he took a chance in England and carved out a reputation as a goal scorer in the lower divisions. He signed for York City in 2022 and became a cult hero with supporters due to his passionate performances and key goals.…

The term ‘fan favourite’ couldn’t be more fitting when discussing Pete Jameson’s time at York City. Joining from Blyth Spartans in 2019 Pete was the established number one throughout his three seasons at the club, the final of which, saw him win player of the year as the team clinched promotion via the playoffs. This interview covers all his time p…

Very few footballers are able to say that they made their debut in the professional game aged just 15 years old but Ashley Chambers did just that when he played for Leicester City in a league cup tie. He also played for England at various youth levels but needed to leave Leicester in search of regular first team football. York City and Gary Mills p…

Football supporters love a player who wears their heart on their sleeve and Michael Rankine epitomised that with his all action and passionate displays for York City. Playing for the club across three separate spells Michael discusses his time at Bootham Crescent as well as his wider career representing the likes of Scunthorpe United, Aldershot Tow…

Terry Dolan has pretty much spent his whole life in football. This interview goes right back to his playing days with the likes of Bradford Park Avenue and Huddersfield Town to covering his managerial spells with Bradford City and of course, York City. Terry’s time at Bootham Crescent was never plain sailing and he effectively served under three ow…

From being one of Britain’s most expensive teenage footballers and playing in the first season of the Premier League to being forced to retire from the game in his late 20s, Neil Tolson packed a lot into his football career. At York City he found a manager who believed in him and a fan base that loved his committed style and goal celebrations makin…

If there was ever a poll to decide the best value for money York City player, Derek Hood, who cost the club £2000 from Hull City would certainly be up there. Over 300 appearances covering nearly every position on the pitch, Derek was in the side that were the first to achieve over 100 points as well as facing Liverpool in the FA Cup. Here Derek dis…

Welcome to a brand new series of York Hospital Ball, a series that goes through the decades starting with former striker Jimmy Seal covering the golden period of the 1970s where York City clinched promotion to the old Second Division. Jimmy signed from Barnsley and initially found goals hard to come by but would go on to form one of the most prolif…

George Mallett's book 'Potter, Hopcutt and a desk in East London' predominantly covers the rise of Swedish side Ostersunds FK from the lower leagues of Sweden to their European adventure. The backdrop of the book however, is George's support of York City, and here we speak to him about his journey following both the Minster men and Ostersunds which…

Welcome to an exclusive interview with the new owner of York City Football Club, Matthew Uggla. After just a week in the role, Matt gave up his time to come to the York Hospital Radio studios to discuss his plans for the club including recruitment, current priorities, challenges and what he hopes will be his legacy. This interview was conducted by …

When Steve Ovenden sat through 45 minutes of York City losing at Reading on a random Tuesday night, he couldn’t have imagined the half-time entertainment would have changed life as he knew it. What followed was a number of amazing opportunities as Steve donned the mask of the newly created Yorkie the lion. From representing England to coming to blo…

When avid supporter James Richardson finished University he probably didn't think his first employment would be as a low paid commercial assistant at York City. However, a short time later James would be involved in numerous aspects of the club which lead to things like making up players names in the matchday programme, discussing transfer targets …

When Gary Mills came back to York City in 2016 he needed players to represent his passion and leadership on the pitch. Sean Newton epitomised everything the manager needed. Having followed him from Wrexham, Sean soon won supporters over with his performances and quality set pieces. Although York City were relegated to the Conference North Sean's as…

Clayton Donaldson was already seen as a club legend due to his brilliant two year spell at the club between 2005 and 2007 so coming back at the tail end of his career could have tarnished his legacy. However, Clayton's experience (and 14 goals) proved a significant factor in the club achieving promotion from National League North and here he reflec…

Matty Blair's journey in football is one based on hard work and dedication. The son of a former European cup winner, you would be mistaken thinking Matty's path was smooth as he worked his way up through the non-league pyramid. When Blair signed for Gary Mills at York in 2011 it was an inspired move as he notched 20 goals in his debut season on rou…

When John Ward left York City in March 1993, it was a crucial point in the season for the club in their pursuit of promotion. Appointing Alan Little, John Ward's assistant, a man with no previous managerial experience was a huge call. However, it 100% proved to be the right decision. From his first game in charge; a 5-1 win at Barnet, to winning pr…

When Andy Leaning was advised to take on an apprenticeship in a trade rather than as a footballer he thought his chance of playing for York City had gone. However, it turned out to be a blessing as Andy built up skills and experience playing local mens football which led to a chance reserve team game at Bootham Crescent. The rest, as they say, is h…

When Denis Smith arrived on loan at York City in 1982 he was shocked at the lack of professionalism and poor standards he had become accustomed to during his stellar career at Stoke City. Accepting the position as player manager of the club Denis knew the size of the challenge but by the time he left for Sunderland in 1987 he had given York City su…

Writer Daniel Gray has just released his excellent book 'The silence of the stands' which details his journey following football during the pandemic. Daniel grew up in York and speaks to us about his childhood following the Minstermen, his infamous purchase of one of turnstiles from Bootham Crescent before discussing his latest football book. This …

Many York City supporters credit John Ward as being one of the finest managers the club has ever had. That is a huge accolade but even more impressive considering he was only in charge for a relative short period and never a full season. However, after a lean end to the 1980s it was John Ward who laid the foundations for success in the 1990s transf…

Alastair Smith is living the dream, a long time supporter of York City past who is now playing a significant role in its future as the new chief executive. Here Alastair speaks about how his love and passion for the club started before moving onto the whirlwind appointment onto the York City board and then up to the present with what it is like to …

This weeks guest is part of an unique band of players who achieved two promotions with York City. For long time supporters of the Minstermen, former England Youth International Brian Pollard, is regularly mentioned as one of the best players to ever play for the club due to having two successful spells with the club. Here Brian talks exclusively ab…

This week on the podcast we go all the way back to the 1970s and hear about the time when York City plied their trade in the second tier of English football, the highest level in their history. Our guest is Graeme Crawford, one of the clubs best ever goalkeepers. Graeme had a real sliding doors moment coming into professional football. He signed fr…

When Russ joined York City in January 2014 the brief was to help steer the club away from relegation but an incredible 17 game unbeaten run was formed and the club sneaked into the League Two play-offs. Sadly this trajectory couldn't be sustained and Russ ended his time at Bootham Crescent captain of the team that fell out of the football league tw…

Our new series starts with an interview with Paddy McLaughlin ahead of his 7th season at the club and off the back of his second promotion. Paddy discusses his early years playing for Northern Ireland through the age groups, his formative years at Newcastle United before moving on to talk in-depth about both of his spells at York City. This series …

Recorded live at Haxby Sports Bar on Friday 20th May 2022, the ten year anniversary of beating Luton Town to secure promotion back to the football league. Former York press journalist Dave Flett presented a nostalgic night remembering that iconic week in York City's history with two club legends, Daniel Parslow and Michael Ingham.…

This special episode features former club director Sophie Purves who discusses everything from standing on the terraces to the battles in the boardroom in an exclusive interview. Sophie was first employed by York City to be in charge of public relations but soon became disillusioned with the resistance to change. Few could have predicted that littl…

Our final guest of the series is Jamal Fyfield, a player signed back in 2010 to provide competition for places and developed into a regular starter when York City were promoted back into the Football League. Jamal looks back on some key moments of his York City career including a dramatic winner in a 3-2 victory over Grimsby, a team he would later …

Our latest episode features Rodney Rowe whose career started at his hometown club, Huddersfield Town. Despite a memorable goal and performance against Premier League side Wimbledon in the FA Cup, Rodney was often on the fringes and moved to York City in 1997 to secure first team football. A firm fan favourite, Rodney scored an audacious chip vs Pre…

This weeks guest is part of a unique group of people to have played both professional football and cricket at the same time with Chris Marples serving Chesterfield and Derbyshire respectively in his early career. York City paid a record amount for a goalkeeper to bring him to Bootham Crescent in 1988 and his four years at the club saw him become a …

Our latest episode features club legend Wayne Hall who joined York City in 1989. Just four years later Wayne scored the winning penalty in the shootout vs Crewe to clinch promotion to the old Division Two. Wayne went onto experience further career highlights being part of the sides that beat Manchester United in 1995 and Everton one year later. By …

The two spells Chris Smith had at York City couldn't have been more contrasting. As a young professional, Chris was part of an inexperienced side under a 27 year old manager which culminated in relegation from the football league for the first time in the clubs history. Following his release he had spells at Stafford, Worcester, Tamworth and Mansfi…

Our new series kicks off with Keith Houchen, a player whose career is never forgotten thanks to his famous diving header for Coventry City in their FA Cup win in 1987. It was his penalty in the FA Cup win over Arsenal that means his time at Bootham Crescent is also similarly cherished. Keith's career wasn't all plain sailing from being released as …

Steve Watson made his pro debut for Newcastle and achieved the record of being their youngest ever debutant aged just 16, a record that still stands. That was the start of a journey that saw him play over 550 career games for Newcastle, Aston Villa, Everton, West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday. Here Steve reflects on his playing career including look…

The final section of the live event with Richard Brodie was dedicated to a supporters Q&A. Overall, the event raised nearly £300 for York Hospital Radio and the podcast has raised over £1200 during the past year. We have recently been nominated as a finalist in the Football Content Awards (Charitable campaign section), please consider voting before…

Richard Brodie was a huge favourite with York City fans and remains our most downloaded episode of the podcast. Following his initial interview Richard said there were many more stories to tell and thus we organised an opportunity to tell them via a live event at Haxby Sports Bar. After several cancellations due to covid, Richard Brodie live took p…

Providing the warm up for the main event, inspirational and passionate supporter Michael Miles entertained the audience with anecdotes of how he created the popular cult fanzine Y Front including how it developed into a twitter feed and a podcast. Michael also discusses mental health and the amazing art collaboration with local artist Sue Clayton. …

Barry Parker provided the soundtrack for many York City fans over many years as Radio York's first main commentator at Bootham Crescent. His quirky, unique style endeared him to supporters who heard him describe the highs and lows of York City in the 90s and 00s including winning at Old Trafford and Wembley. This episode is sponsored by City Cruise…

Not only does David Ward commentate on every York City game for Radio York, he is also a life long supporter of the club. Here David speaks about how his support grew alongside his media career, how he keeps his passion in check when broadcasting and his chemistry with regular summariser Iain Dunn. This episode is sponsored by City Cruises, was con…

'Not just talent' is the name of the blog created by this weeks guest, Jonathan Smith, strongly suggesting that you need more than that to succeed as a professional footballer. In this interview Jonathan outlines the sacrifices, the hard work and dedication that made him a success at Forest Green Rovers, York City, Swindon Town and Luton Town to na…

When Michael Coulson signed for York City in the summer of 2012, the club was on the crest of a wave having won promotion but four years later, Michael's last season, they were spiralling back into non-league. During that time period Michael was a real fan favourite from his all-action displays and penchant for wonder goals and here he speaks about…

When York City were facing a second successive relegation in the 99/00 season that would have seen them drop out of the football league, manager Terry Dolan turned to Alan Fettis, a goalkeeper he originally brought over from Northern Ireland for Hull City. Fettis himself, was frustrated with lack of opportunities at Blackburn Rovers, and the signin…

Few York City players have immediately endeared themselves to supporters after one touch but Jamie Reed's immediate control of a ball that came out of the sky at Bolton in the FA Cup in January 2011 did just that. If that wasn't enough Reed scored against arch rivals Luton Town not long after and became a key player during his time at Bootham Cresc…

Any past or future polls about York City's greatest ever strikers will inevitably have Paul Barnes in the starting XI. Signing for £50,000 back in 1992, Barnes scored on his debut against Shrewsbury Town and never looked back, netting 85 goals in 179 appearances. His goals helped the club get promoted in 1993, go close again in 1994 and cemented hi…

Gary Ford played over 400 games for his hometown club York City and is a club legend for his key role in the successful side of the 1980's under Denis Smith. Ford scored against Liverpool in the FA Cup and scored 11 times during the record breaking 101 points season in 1983/84. Here Gary talks about the highs of his career both at York City and his…

Very few people have had the longevity in football that Paul Stancliffe has achieved. We are delighted to have Paul discuss his 45 year career in the game; playing and coaching. Over 700 career appearances, 5 promotions representing Rothertham United, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and York City, Paul has had a remarkable career. This ep…

When you make your first team debut at 17 on the back of several England U16 and U18 caps, you would think Russ Howarth's career was set up to be a long and prosperous one. However, by the age of 25, Russ decided he didn't want to continue in the game and here he discusses that football journey and the significant sliding doors moments that culmina…

This week Hospital Ball speaks to former striker Jason Walker whose two years at Bootham Crescent are fondly remembered by supporters. A £60,000 signing from promotion rivals Luton Town, Walker quickly became a fan favourite from his all-action displays as well as his goal-scoring feats which included the outrageous overhead kick against Grimsby To…

Very few players have progressed so quickly through the divisions as Martyn Woolford. Starting his professional career at York City, Martyn discusses how grateful he was that Billy McEwan and York City took a chance on a raw talent and how it lay the foundations for his career post Bootham Crescent. Interview conducted by Dan Tait, edited and produ…