80 YEARS AGO: WITH York City and York Rugby League Club both playing away from home, the York & District Football League nipped in to play their Senior Cup final.

First Division rivals Easingwold Town and York RI had the honour of trotting out at Bootham Crescent, and it finished 3-3, with the replay pencilled in for March 21 at the Garrison ground.

Stanford, Milner and Smith were on target for RI, who preferred a short passing game, with an own goal, Dunn and Fox replying for the long-ball merchants of Easingwold.

A crowd of 1,400 watched the game and, amazingly, that was 200 more than the attendance for York City's game at Wrexham!

The Minstermen deserved a draw, but they had left their shooting boots at home, with the best chances falling to Albert Banfield and Harry Green.

Wrexham put their worst gate of the season down to the facts that rain fell all day, that they hadn't won so far in 1936 and the continuing dispute between the Football League and the pools companies.

Having just celebrated a Leap Day thanks to the astronomers of Julius Caesar – good news for monthly season-ticket holders and licence holders but bad news for those who are paid monthly – York Rugby League Club were spreading the gospel by playing an exhibition match against Batley at Brough Park in Newcastle.

The Gallant Youths won 19-15, Hargrave and Bratley getting tries for York.

The quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup were hardly a points fest, with the scores being Huddersfield 12 Wakefield 0; Salford 5 Castleford 4; Warrington 5 Wigan 2 and Hull 4 Leeds 5, with the latter match attracting 35,000 to The Boulevard, with some spectators hanging from the greyhound lamp standards to get a better view.

50 YEARS AGO

RUSSIA managed to land a space probe on Venus but no-one could stop a black dog holding up play for 13 minutes in a midweek Inter-Cities Fairs Cup tie at Elland Road.

The said hound managed to avoid the best efforts of 22 players, three officials and ten red-faced policemen before eventually allowing itself to be collared by a spectator.

United keeper Gary Sprake almost made his best save of the night by diving full length to try and apprehend the animal as the hosts defeated Hungary's Ujpest Dozsa 4-1 in the first leg of their quarter-final, with goals from Terry Cooper, Willie Bell, Jim Storrie and Billy Bremner.

Chelsea, who had come through their third-round tie with AC Milan on the toss of a coin after three matches and 300 minutes, drew 2-2 in the same competition at Munich 1860.

York City keeper Tommy Forgan deserved better than to be on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth, finally being beaten by an 82nd-minute penalty, while the transfer-listed Paul Aimson missed York's best chance, David Best saving after the centre forward's shot lacked power.

Wakefield Trinity defeated York 24-0, but the home side had to play for most of the second half a man down after an injury, having already put both of their substitutes on.

The Clarence Street club also lost winger Geoff Smith to Bradford Northern for a four-figure fee after the Great Britain international had been on loan at Odsal for a month.

Meanwhile, France won a rugby league international 8-4 against Great Britain at Wigan, and Leeds United lost 2-1 at Northampton Town in the top flight, Mike O'Grady netting for Leeds.

20 YEARS AGO

SOME of York's best sportsmen were in demand in 1996 as striker Paul Barnes was transferred to Birmingham City for £375,000, with Gary Bull, cousin of 29-year-old former England international Steve, moving in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Wakefield Trinity made it clear that they wanted to sign two of York Rugby League Club's best forwards in Richard Hayes and Mick Ramsden.

The Minstermen drew a fine Second Division match 2-2 at home to Bradford City, but a point was not really any good to either team, with York battling against relegation and the Bantams pushing for the play-offs.

Nigel Pepper, who joined their opponents a year later (almost to the day), put York ahead with a 12th-minute penalty but defender Nicky Mohan scored twice in ten minutes before half-time to give the Paraders the edge.

York's hero was 18-year-old Richard Cresswell.

He not only got the equaliser in the 73rd minute with a crisp header, about ten minutes after coming on, but then hit a post with a 30-yard curler and had a decent shout for a penalty turned down.

Leeds United lost 1-0 to bottom club Bolton, Gudni Bergsson getting the only goal.

There was joy on the rugby union front, though, with Pocklington winning Yorkshire Division One after a 14-9 victory at Halifax Vandals, and Knaresborough beating Harlow Nomads 26-5 to lift Yorkshire Division Five on a tie-breaker from Pudsey.