Author Dave Windross has been overwhelmed by the response to his book on York City.

Hundreds of copies of Citizens and Minstermen - A Who's Who of York City FC - have been sold since the book came out towards the end of last year.

But what has amazed Barlby-based Windross has been the number of relatives and friends of old players who have approached him with new information.

The book contains details of every player to turn out for the club at first team level, stretching back to the Midland League days in the 1920s to the start of last season. It includes a section on football during the Second World War and it has been this period which has seen new information come to light.

Cyril Coultate, who lives in Strensall, bought a copy of the book from Windross and was delighted to find his one City appearance during the war, a 3-2 defeat at Rotherham United was duly recorded.

York-born Coultate, now 77, was a right winger with New Earswick and worked in the Railway Goods department.

Robert 'Bob' Barnard, who also played in that Rotherham game, sadly died recently but was among several local players still living in the York area whom Windross has tracked down in recent months.

"I have been in touch with war guests like Robert Barnard, Neville Tutill, Chris Marshall and Cyril Coultate after the latter purchased a copy of the book," said Windross, a City fan for about 40 years.

Tutill, father of former skipper Steve, played for Huntington and Marshall was a forward with Fulford United. A York-born amateur, who worked at the Carriageworks and Wagon Works in Leeman Road, before becoming a driver, Marshall also played for Scunthorpe, Frickley and Peterborough.

Windross has also spoken to Jack Pinder, the old City full back, who is thought to be the oldest City survivor at 86 and lives off Stockton Lane.

"His memory about the old days is as clear as a bell" said Windross.

Pinder, who played 221 senior games for City spent 19 years with the club as a player and trainer.

Going even further back, Windross has been able to shed more light on players from the Midland League days between 1922 and 1929.

"Mike Parker, the great nephew of Jack Everest, has supplied me with a copy of Jack's birth certificate," said Windross.

Everest played for Dunnington and Heslington and was one of the first men from the York area to make a name for himself in the Football League after leaving City, playing for Rochdale, Blackpool, Cardiff, Southend and Barnsley. His birthplace has long been a bone of contention for football historians but his birth certificiate clearly shows that he was born in Ireland - and not Dunnington where his family still lives.

Another source of information for Windross has been David Poole, better known as an Evening Press bowls correspondent.

Many former City players went on to become expert bowls players. Tom Mitchell, the old Newcastle winger, who also had a spell as City's manager won an English Bowling Association Pairs Championship title in 1953 when he was a member of Bootham BC, and Ernie Phillips, the skipper of City's famous 1955 FA Cup team, won the Yorkshire Rinks Championship for Bert Keech BC in 1985."These are just two examples. There are many more," said Windross.

Copies of the limited edition Citizen and Minstermen which costs £14.69 including postage, can be bought directly from Windross at 20 Bramley Avenue, Barlby, Selby, YO8 5EY, or phone 01757 700834.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.