100 years ago

It was predicted that there would be a large crowd at Field View, Burton Lane, the following afternoon, when York City would meet Goole Town in their replayed tie in the second qualifying round of the English Cup competition.

It was most peculiar that the City should have met the same team the previous year with a similar result.

The previous Saturday the City had taken a following of about 2000 with them; their supporters were quite satisfied with the game, and, for that matter, with the result also.

The game had been a hard one throughout, and both clubs would not be at all sorry to have the opportunity of a second gate. The receipts at Goole had totalled £78, and another of a similar amount would be very welcome.


50 years ago

Russia was making a massive attempt to recruit spies among Britain's 650,000 Civil servants, according to a booklet entitled Their Trade Is Treachery, which had been issued to Government departments.

The booklet warned: “Spies are with us all the time. They are interested in everything - defence secrets, scientific secrets, political decisions, economic facts - even people's characters - in order to recruit yet more spies.

"This booklet tells you about the great hostile spy machine that tries to suborn our citizens and turn them into traitors. It tells you how to recognise at once certain espionage techniques, and how to avoid pitfalls, which could lead to a national catastrophe or a personal disaster, or both.

"Finally, if you are in possession of information useful to a spy, this booklet tells you how to foil the spies who will certainly be seeking it. He may be closer than you think.”


25 years ago

The pound and the stock market had taken a battering as Mrs Thatcher's personal judgement was being challenged in the wake of Nigel Lawson's resignation.

About £20 billion was feared to be at risk as share prices tumbled. A generation of City whizz-kids, who had never known any other resident at 11, Downing Street, had been dazed by the departure of the man they called “Lucky Lawson”.

The only factor stopping panic pound selling in the Far East was a belief that central banks around the world were standing by to prop up the UK currency.

After a night of bombshells, MPs of all parties were still baffled by Mrs Thatcher's apparent readiness to lose her Chancellor for the sake of her economic “guru”, part-time adviser Sir Alan Walters.

They could not fathom out why the Prime Minister did not invite Sir Alan to go when she plainly saw his hostility to the European Monetary System was enraging Mr Lawson to the point of resignation.