Ginner's Left Foot

04/09/2021

Missed out on the GLF Special? I'll be selling on the West stand concourse/bar area at half-time at today's game against Farsley. I'll also have a few York City Top Trumps playing cards (£15) with me and some old issues of RaBTaT and GLF. Curious? - Just ask! I'll also be present at the John Byrne Q&A later on Sat evening at the York Hospital Social Club, so look out for me if you are there. Let's hope for our first home win of the season and back-to-back wins today to really get our season started. UP THE CITY!!!

28/08/2021

I'll be selling the GLF special outside the LNER today before and after the game (near the bus pick-up point), and at HT on the West stand concourse. I'll also have a few York City Top Trumps cards with me. Enjoy the game. Come on, City!

15/04/2021

It's 18 years to the day since the untimely death of one of York City's greatest ever players, Keith Walwyn. Shortly before his passing, Keith had answered a questionnaire (via post) for GLF. With kind permission from his family we were able to publish Keith's replies in GLF7 which would feature a lengthy tribute to the great man, with many fans contributing. It was arguably one of our best issues. The video tribute below was compiled by myself a year ago...R.I.P. Keith

https://youtu.be/3C_lBEO6mbg

A pictorial tribute to Keith Walwyn - one of York City FC's greatest strikers and a legendary figure to many fans - who represented the Minstermen for 6 year...

22/03/2021

Good evening all. Been a while since I posted but just wanted to reassure folk I hope to keep this page open with updates from time to time. I still get the odd enquiry at picking up the booklet, so if you think you've missed the boat, or are aware of someone who'd like a copy, please tell them to contact me as I still have some available, or wait until August! I did say in my last post that I hoped to be able to sell any remaining copies at one of the first City games at the new stadium, but what with the ongoing Covid-crap, interruptions, postponements and now another null and void season, it seems if I get chance to do this, it will now be at the beginning of the 2021/22 season - still stuck in NL North. Surely we'll be allowed back to games by then, and next season will see us promoted, etc, etc? (ad nauseam) As it stands, (if my records are correct) I stand at 482 sales. Not at all bad when I was worried about getting 300 done originally. Only a few sold in person 'cos of the restrictions. That's down to you supporting this special publication, via the beauty of the internet, so thanks.

Did any of you bother with bidding/buying a unique piece of Bootham Crescent memorabilia? Didn't bother, personally. Thought about some seats, but a prospective move scuppered that idea. I hope if you were successful in acquiring something it is on proud display, but safe from opportunists/thieves, and that you weren't affected by the club sharing your personal/bank details in an errant email. That left a sour note for over 100 supporters, and the club still hasn't made an official statement on this. P**s poor. Beggars belief to be honest. You're fans/customers. At least be up front with your supporters and apologise, even if you're losing face. You might get an ounce of respect back for doing that.

Don't forget the link to the GLF website where you can view previous editions of the mag for FREE. I've been reassured by former co-Ed Angus that he's still hoping to upload further editions soon, so keep checking it out. https://ginnersleftfoot.weebly.com/?fbclid=IwAR09lHv2NcW3plWVdFW3Ud2i3zX2PBY-mZvZ2PrZNmVbUXoVceBGaTY3eC4

Anyhow, I hope to see some of you at a City game *soon* at the new gaff. If you see a dodgy bloke (me) knocking about outside or in the fanzone area with a black bag slung over a shoulder, selling the last few GLFs, do say hello. I may also have on my person some YCFC Top Trumps packs (just reprinted!!) to sell, so look out for those if you've never stumbled upon them.

Stay safe, keep smiling, and have a good Easter.

Ginner's Left Foot - A York City Fanzine

11/02/2021

As ever, thanks to my printer Fulprint, I have another batch of booklets ready for despatch a day ahead of schedule. I've already delivered a few personally in the Huntington district in the last hour (as 5 mins away in the car) to save loss/delay or damage in transit in the post. Guess what my homework is for tonight? 😄 Hopefully I'll fulfil the pre-orders from this print run this evening and get them in the post tomorrow. But rest assured, your copy/copies will be with you soon. Thanks again for your support. - Andy

05/02/2021

Going to print next week for the third and final time as I don't envisage much more uptake after this batch is produced. I will have about 50 copies left over after fulfilling the current 72 orders, so if you've missed out and would still like to get hold of the booklet then please get in touch sharpish by emailing me at: [email protected]. If I have a few left over by the end of this month, I'll just hold onto them until I can sell them with fans present at the new stadium (likely to be in August, 'innit! 😕 🙁).

For those who have pre-ordered, I will be in touch with you in the next few days requesting payment so that as soon as I get the booklets, they can be posted out pretty quickly to you.

Have a good weekend, all.

UP THE CITY!

Cheers,
Andy

30/01/2021

Well 2 weeks ago I did a couple of posts on social media asking folk if they wanted to secure a copy of GLF to get in touch with me as I was contemplating a THIRD short print run. Amazingly, I'm pleased to say I've roused enough interest to go ahead with this, which I intend to do over the next 2 weeks. So if you are one of those people who contacted me, I'll be in touch soon as regards your order. I should have some spare copies available, so please PM or email me if you still want a copy. As ever, I appreciate the support from City fans on this. Bootham Crescent will be pleased to hear you want to read about her! Someone living close to the ground has reported that the players were training on the pitch this very morning; so the old girl is still hanging on in there!

19/01/2021

Below is my own slideshow tribute to York City’s home of 89 years, Bootham Crescent. Since my first visit on the 1st April 1975 (a 0-0 draw with Blackpool in the old 2nd Division) I’ve spent many hours there where I have experienced a glut of emotions, craving just a little bit of success for my team. Emotional highs and lows were all part of the package of attending matches down at ‘BC’; I should have read the small print. But in all honesty, I wouldn’t change a damn thing. Many friends for life made on the terraces in all weathers, at a place that really was a second home to me. Gonna miss the old girl. Goodbye, Bootham Crescent...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-N7Hkkx6OE

YCFC’s first game: 31st August 1932 v Stockport County, D3 North, Drew 2-2
YCFC’s last game: 28th December 2020 v Guiseley, National League North, Won 1-0

A pictorial tribute to York City Football Club's home since August 1932. The Minstermen began their 2020/21 campaign at Bootham Crescent, with the last match...

15/01/2021

The realisation that we have now definitely played our last game at Bootham Crescent has undoubtedly played a part in fans requesting a copy of the GLF Special in the last few days. In line with the interest, I gave the mag a bit of a 'push' on social media yesterday too as I had around 30 copies left. I am pleased to say these have now sold out, so thanks for your incredible support (again).

If this news disappoints a few of you reading this post, as you were hoping to get a copy, then please do get in touch with me as someone in Middlesbrough has already done. I am not ruling out a further short print run, but obviously the more interest expressed in obtaining a copy, knowing there are fans out there who still want one, the more likely it is to happen. And it is more cost-effective in to get another 50 or 100 printed rather than 15 or 25. And yes, I would still like to be able to sell a few outside the (new) ground at a City game when this bastard Covid malarkey sh*te dies down and restrictions are eased, as I'm sure there are many fans out there still totally unaware of the booklet.

Please do message me or email me at: [email protected] and I will register your interest in my log-book-thingy.

Thanks!
- Andy

12/01/2021

Well....it seems that's it. What a sad way for Bootham Crescent to bow out; but in this long, drawn out saga (the ground move) of many, many years, perhaps typical of what has gone before. All a bit messy, upsetting and not very satisfying. I'm sure we all feel a bit flat at how things have transpired.

The anticipated final game against AFC Fylde, which should have been played tonight behind closed doors, was cancelled because a few members of the YCFC squad/staff displayed symptoms of C-19 over the last few days. One blessing, is that the very final game at Bootham Crescent will now always be recognised as the 1-0 victory against Guiseley on the 28th December when 627 fans were present. At least a lucky few hundred managed to 'be there' to say goodbye.

Over the next few days there will undoubtedly be fans uploading their memories and favourite clips, and own photos/films of BC etc, across social media. A re-hashed compilation of some famous City matches has already been broadcast this evening 'live' on Youtube for supporters by the club which had a few hundred tuned in. There was very little original about it if you've seen all the old clips on there before, so it perhaps left a few of you who watched it craving for more...

When things die down a bit over the next few days, I intend to make 'live' my Youtube video tribute to the old girl. It's looking likely that next Tuesday's home game (due to be played at the LNER Community Stadium) against Gateshead may well be cancelled too, so unless the game goes ahead, I intend to make my 'Goodbye Bootham Crescent' slideshow available for public viewing. Shall we say next Tuesday, 7.45pm (K.O.) for me posting the link for its premiere showing? See you then (No red carpet needed or owt!).

05/01/2021

Happy 2021 everyone. Not got off to a great start, has it? Just a couple of notes from me...
Purchasers of the GLF Special may have read of a Youtube link to a video (which I put together over a number of months) entitled 'Goodbye Bootham Crescent' , on the inside back cover. If you have tried searching for this, it will not be found. I was hoping to time the release of the video tribute to BC with when we actually leave Bootham Crescent, which was hoped to be the middle of December,....then due to be mid-January....and after today's announcement regarding the club seeking further allotted parking spaces (which will breach previously agreed planning permissions), it could be a few more weeks yet before we move to MX. This very much depends if the football club stop playing funny buggers over such trivial issues. It's all down to egos at the club. Utterly pathetic. But as soon as those gates do finally close on our beloved home, I will provide a link for everyone. I've been sat on this compilation for coming up to a year - I started it during the first weeks of the first lockdown. Patience is a virtue as they say. Hopefully you've seen a couple of other YCFC-related videos on my Youtube pages to keep you entertained. Stay strong everyone as we enter Lockdown MKIII soon..., and as Fletch once said in the BBC comedy classic Porridge: "Don't let the bastards grind you down." (I could be writing about the Govt and/or those in charge at YCFC at this point!). Cheers! ;-)
P.S. I still have some copies available if you haven't picked one up yet!

24/12/2020

Happy Christmas to all supporters of YCFC and GLF! Here's a little present for you which will hopefully provide you with a few smiles during the festive period...

My ex-partner in crime on previous issues of Ginner's Left Foot - Angus MacCoatup - has been working hard in recent weeks to revamp his website dedicated to the fanzine. This is an ongoing project, but he's made a terrific start on it. Please follow the link below and remember to add it to your favourites to ensure you pop by from time to time to enjoy further uploaded material. The first aim is to upload all the past issues 1-10 digitally so that you can enjoy viewing them on your PC/Laptop/mobile. The first 4 issues can be viewed at the moment. Clicking on the front cover of each issue will open up another window, but the pages can be flipped throughout and zoomed in on so that they are easily readable. Enjoy!

Daley

https://ginnersleftfoot.weebly.com

Ginner's Left Foot - A York City Fanzine

16/12/2020

It was nice to see some City fans allowed back in to Bootham Crescent last weekend. Sadly, I wasn't one of them. I'm sure they enjoyed being back, albeit the occasion was maybe spoilt a little with the final result. Typical City though, eh? I held off from selling copies of GLF outside the main gates due to restrictions being in place still, but I'm VERY hopeful I get that chance at the end of the year. Keep your eyes peeled on social media, and ears pinned back as I believe some news is imminent as regards the move to the new ground. My second batch of booklets has been slowly nibbled away at, leaving me with around 40, but if these go before Christmas then that scuppers the chance to pick one up at a match, so to guarantee a copy, email me: [email protected] ! I've had some lovely messages sent via email about the booklet over the last couple of weeks; it seems to have stirred the emotions and memories of Bootham Crescent of many of those reading it - which is kind of what I set out to achieve in publishing this booklet of thoughts. I appreciate those that have got in touch or recommended it on social media. Once again, thank you! I'm hoping I can bring you some exciting news about Ginner's Left Foot in the near future. NOT a return as a regular fanzine, but....ahh,...I'd best not say too much for now, but I'll keep you informed as soon as I can on these 'ere pages!
Ta-ta for now. Andy / Daley

03/12/2020

Thanks to my printer Fulprint who have pulled out all the stops today, to supply me with another batch of booklets. The dozen who pre-paid for a copy will have theirs in the post tomorrow morning. I urge anyone who is dilly-dallying to hesitate no longer, as several folk of late have been purchasing them as a stocking-filler Xmas present for the fervent City fan in their family. £4 per copy (+£2 first class p&p) Email me at: [email protected] to secure yours.

01/12/2020

The City faithful have proved themselves to be the best fans in the land yet again. Thanks to you, apart from two copies remaining, I have now SOLD OUT of this special edition of GLF. But to those who were dilly-dallying about whether to buy one - do not fear!! If you'd still like to get hold of a copy for yourself or for someone else (they'd make a great stocking-filler for Minstermen fans!), I am having some more printed this week, but rather tentatively, I have not ordered as many. So please don't put off 'til tomorrow, what you can do TODAY - by reserving your copy/copies of the commemorative booklet 'Goodbye Bootham Crescent' by emailing me at: [email protected]
I will only request payment once I've picked them up from the printer, hopefully at the end of the week. I am also contemplating being stood outside the gates of BC on Saturday with a few to sell in person, although it doesn't look like I'll be able to go to the game itself if there are restrictions in place.

Thanks,
Andy

27/11/2020

Well it was just 1 week ago that the booklet became available to City supporters (and others). To say I've been blown away by the response from Minstermen fans (and neutrals) would be an understatement. I've got around 40 copies left, so it looks like I may have to go for a reprint. Thankfully, the feedback I've received has been positive and kind, and makes all the hard work worthwhile. Who knows,...but news that fans may yet be allowed back into Bootham Crescent before our new ground problems are rectified to see another game, could yet see me trying to sell GLF again stood near to the main gates of our home of 88 years. I'd love that; and a happy ending for BC may yet transpire for the club and its fans. Never lose hope.

As ever, thanks for your support and kind comments., but if you have any complaints about the booklet, please send them to:-

Miss Agnes Shipton-Street, The cavern-at-the-rear-of-the-Pop-Stand of Bootham Crescent, (behind the old army barracks and behind some straggly bushes), Burton Stone Lane, York

Cheers, Andy (UP THE CITY!)

24/11/2020

Plenty of stuffing envelopes and posting has happened over the last few days since GLF became available on Friday afternoon. I think I've finally got on top of it all now. The response from City fans has been incredible, so thanks to those who have contacted me to get hold of their copy/copies. I've shifted 66% of them so far, so it's been hectic. I've had a bit of feedback and thankfully it's all positive so far. Another 79 parcels have been sent out today, so I'm hoping those that have ordered as of lunchtime today should have their copy by Thu aft latest. If you want to secure a copy before they sell out, please email me at: [email protected]
£4 per copy (+£2 p&p) Thank you for your support.

20/11/2020

I am pleased to say that the special one-off edition of Ginner’s Left Foot - ‘Goodbye Bootham Crescent’ is now available for purchase. The 56pp souvenir booklet, printed on a smooth matt art paper, commemorates our home that the club will soon be departing (likely some time in 2021*). Forty-five fans of YCFC have shared their own memories of BC, including football commentators Jon Champion and Guy Mowbray, and also three ex-players, namely Graeme Crawford, John Byrne and Daniel Parslow. The heartfelt tributes are accompanied by 75 pictures of Bootham Crescent, with many printed in glorious full-colour. Memories from our supporters include:- travelling to a home match via steam train; being asked to stand-in as a reserve goalkeeper; experiences as a ballboy or club mascot; sustaining injuries and fainting on the terraces; working behind the scenes; pitch invasions and being assaulted by visiting fans - both in the stands and on the pitch; watching matches from the away end; fighting to save the club and BC at the turn of the century, and favourite matches. They also describe their emotions and opinions on having to leave for 21st century facilities at Monks Cross.
Even though this is a special edition of GLF, it simply wouldn’t be the same without a sprinkling of humour within its pages. Included are a couple of articles related to the ground move, with visits paid to Old Mother Shipton-Street at her cavernous home located underneath the Bootham Crescent pitch, and ‘Urinals’ Rennie who looks after the bogs behind the Longhurst who are both coming to terms with the imminent closure of the ground. The columns ‘GLF Classifieds’ and ‘Talking Balls’ also make a return, and there is the usual verbal blast from ‘Moaning Mini’.
In normal circumstances I’d love to be stood outside our beloved home of 88 (soon 89!) years before and after a City game offering it for purchase to fellow Minstermen followers, but sadly I won’t be able to do that for a while yet. So the only option is to post this out to fans at the moment. Not only will the mag make for a good read during ‘lockdown MKII’, it would make for a good little stocking-filler for City fans.

GLF Special Edition - ‘Goodbye Bootham Crescent’ £4.00 (please add £2 for postage & packing). Payment via Paypal (as a GIFT payment to [email protected]), BACS or cheque. Please email: [email protected] for more details.

*Subject to change!

14/11/2020

The last submission came in Thursday night and I panicked. I requested something of between 450-600 words and what did they send through?...900! Cue me spending Friday afternoon shuffling stuff around as I didn't want to impact too much on his piece, as it was yet another great read. In the end, I had to cut it down by around 50 words and lose a small picture, but I've managed it. Thankfully, they approved of the slightly edited piece. Now I just need to ensure I've converted all my page layouts to PDFs (Portable Document Files) and save them to memory stick so that they can be printed next week. The pictures below are of my A4 inkjet printed pages butted-up to match the layout of when it goes to print, as it will be digitally printed on SRA3. I'll do some final checks from these to ensure the page numbers tally up correctly and all the written pieces have definitely been included, and visually it looks 'right'. There might be a bit of ticking going on over this weekend, but the pubs are closed, so that's my Saturday night sorted! I've already proof-read the pages about 500 times, I reckon (or it feels like that!!), so if anything slips through the net....then hey-ho, I f**?!d-up. Something usually does. Any last amendments will be done on the day of print to correct colour issues with photographs after I've seen the very first digitally-printed page of each sheet. I'm determined no little Gremlin will spoil this ruddy booklet!... 😉

11/11/2020

UPDATE: Getting close now, folks. I'm awaiting just one more composition from a City supporter this week and then I can finalise the layout of the booklet, ready for printing out some proofs so that checks can be made to colour-match photographs as close as possible. The intention is to go to print next week, and fingers crossed, it may be ready by the end of it, or shortly after. As I stated in a previous post, former players Graeme Crawford and John Byrne have already sent something for the booklet. I can now confirm City legend Daniel Parslow, who as we know was recently forced to retire from the game due to a serious head injury, also kindly contributed some thoughts. More news next week all being well!

24/10/2020

PART 6:
Despite me setting limits on the number of words used (anything from 200-500) for those submitting their memories for the booklet, once their finished piece was sent through to me, it was clear a few fans were getting caught up in the whole emotion of writing about Bootham Crescent. In a few cases, between 700-1000 words were emailed. You could see the passion and love for the club and the ground coming across in their blurbs, and it made for fascinating reading. For some, I had to edit down by at least a couple of hundred words to fit the allotted spaces, but some I couldn't possibly amend too much, because they were SOOOOOO good. But I knew space was becoming a problem, and I WOULD have to increase the number of pages. Loyal City fan Graham Bradbury, now heavily involved with 'York City Past Players', which raise monies for various good causes through sporting events and dinners, and whom I have known for many years, got wind of my project and offered to help. I met Graham during lockdown under a stall on York Market over a coffee and showed him a draft copy of what I'd already put together and his eyes lit up. He said YCPP would be more than willing to part-fund this to 'get it over the line'. All I had to do was sell enough copies to refund their outlay, with the hope that some of any profit could be donated to YCPP. As a part-time worker, and costs increasing, their assistance was just the filip I needed. I could now bolster the number of pages. 32 pages soon became 36,...then 40. Hmmm, I'm gonna need yet another 4 pages...."It's now 44, Graham! " No problem, he replied. As I approach the finish line on this project, I can confirm the booklet will be of 56 printed pages, of which 16 will be printed in glorious full colour. Might as well do a decent job of it. I await a few more submissions, including one from another ex-player, and I can go to print in mid-Nov (latest). It's a shame it's anticipated release doesn't coincide with YCFC's actual departure from Bootham Crescent,...but 2020 has been a funny old year as you might have gathered. It's more likely a fu***ng vaccine will be found for Covid-19 before the club moves up to the new LNER Community Stadium at Monks Cross!...

15/10/2020

Part 5:
As submissions started coming in, it was apparent there were some great memories to be shared that would make for good reading. There were fond recollections of the very first visits to BC with parents and schoolmates, and using the tunnel of the Pop Stand for changing ends at HT; of peering over the white picket fence as a young 'un; and being stood on the Shippo which was open to the elements and also at risk of regular infiltration from away fans looking for a ruck as hooliganism took a hold during the 70s and 80s before CCTV and more stringent policing techniques came in. But great snippets have also been gleaned from some of our more elderly supporters, who have touched on when they first started attending games in the 1940s, and I even spoke on the phone to one fan who started supporting the club during this time, who could have talked about City for hours and hours, if I'd let him! He has a particularly nice tale about Tom Forgan, our legendary 'keeper from the 1950s. I have yet to meet him in person, but hope I get the chance to after this virus-thingy f***s off. But I also needed the thoughts of a few 'names' that all City fans would be familiar with, so contacted esteemed football commentators and City fans Jon Champion and Guy Mowbray who were more than willing to help, and former Press reporters on City matches, Robert Beaumont and Dave Flett, who have also written pieces for the booklet, and finally,....I managed to get 2 ex-players onside with the project. By early-July 2020, I was beginning to think that 32 pages might not be enough as I jiggled around with the draft design and the blurb I'd already received. I needed to reassess and get another quote for a further 4 pages, but some fears about escalating costs were soon allayed after contact from another supporter well-known to many in YCFC circles...

10/10/2020

After further discussion today, it has been decided to add a further 8 pages to the booklet and add a few more colour pictures and fans' memories. Yes, it means more costs incurred and a bit more work is involved to bring this to fruition, but if you're going to do something...you might as well do it properly first time up rather than regret it afterwards. Only gonna get one poke at this. Still aiming for a publication well before Christmas, folks!

07/10/2020

Part 4:
With a sudden halt to the season in March, a lengthy period of lockdown, furlough and drinking in the back garden began...wondering when the season would recommence. It wouldn't, any time soon. When the D.I.Y. tasks around the house dried up, and YCFC never far from the mind, my thoughts returned back to Bootham Crescent. Had Minstermen fans seen their last game there and not realised it after a 1-4 defeat against Hereford? I still felt strongly about compiling some kind of tribute booklet/mag to the ground full of fans' memories. Lockdown made my mind up. Bo****ks to what it would cost, I need to do this. If I make a small loss, so what? I was bored as hell sat around doing sweet FA, so might as well start putting feelers out to see if there would be interest. The booklet would need good pictures, and although I'd taken a few over the years, I contacted several people whose pictures struck a note, requesting use of their images for the mag. EVERY person I emailed were obliging. This was encouraging, and I already had permission to use two images that I knew would look perfect for the outside cover. Spare time relieving the boredom at home was now an issue for many people, so maybe writing something about BC might take their mind off the surreal situation we all found ourselves in. I would start contacting fans via email to see if they'd like to write something. But who? Can't all be friends I go to games with or who I know quite well from the terraces, that would be ridiculous. I need a wide and varied mix of fans. In mid-May, I decided to list people who had worked in and around Bootham Crescent on match days, who had either been employed by the club, or who had volunteered their services. They would have some good stories to tell about the ground, surely, having worked behind the scenes? There were some familiar names to most fans on my first list, and the first few emails started being fired out in the first few days of June. By the end of the first week, my first submission had already been received - 3 weeks ahead of when I expected something. He told me he couldn't wait, and enjoyed doing it. It was the first of a trickle recieved that month. A magazine was beginning to take shape...

02/10/2020

Part 3:
So having put the idea of a fanzine on the back burner over Xmas, I engaged on another little project early in 2020. A move away from Bootham Crescent to Monks Cross could still come at very short notice. From pictures I'd taken inside and outside of BC since 2002, along with many I'd acquired over the years as a City fan, I started to put together a slideshow of images to commemorate our imminent departure. I was only using some free software downloaded from the internet, but it worked for me and did what I wanted it to do. I searched for some suitable background music to accompany the images, and eventually found three perfect instrumentals by the same artist, which were also free from copyright, and downloaded in haste. Perfect! I spent at least a month on it, fine-tuning along the way, and was ready for uploading a 13-minute tribute to Bootham Crescent to Youtube by early February. Talk from club directors at a fans forum suggested a move may happen 'within weeks', so I was expecting to be sharing the video for fans' enjoyment within a month. Some 9 months later, the slideshow I composed remains 'on hold'. No news about a March/April move came. More construction problems? No one told the fans what was going on. But it looked like City would see the season out at BC, which would be good for our title challenge, and the prospect of ending our time at BC on a high looked favourable. Then something happened in March which not only ended City's season abruptly as the club topped the table again after a wobble, it literally stopped the world in its tracks...