The 2014–15 season was the 93rd season of competitive association football and 78th season in the Football League played by York City Football Club, a professional football club based in York, North Yorkshire, England. Their seventh-place finish in 2013–14 and loss to Fleetwood Town in the play-offs meant it was their third successive season in League Two. The season ran from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.
Nigel Worthington made eight signings in his second summer transfer window as York manager. With the team only one place above the relegation zone by mid October 2014, Worthington resigned and was replaced by former Scunthorpe United manager Russ Wilcox. After a six-match unbeaten run from late March to mid April 2015, York ensured survival from relegation before finishing in 18th position in the 24-team 2014–15 League Two. York were knocked out of the 2014–15 FA Cup, League Cup and Football League Trophy in their opening round matches.
32 players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were 13 different goalscorers. Defender Keith Lowe missed only one of the 50 first-team matches over the season. Jake Hyde finished as leading scorer with 10 goals, of which nine came in league competition and one came in the FA Cup. The winner of the Clubman of the Year award, voted for by the club's supporters, was Lowe.
Background and pre-season
The 2013–14 season was Nigel Worthington's first full season as manager of York City, after leading the team to safety from relegation in 2012–13 following his appointment in March 2013. Having only been above the relegation zone on goal difference come the start of 2014, the team went on a 17-match unbeaten run from February onwards. This saw York reach the play-offs with a seventh-place finish in the 2013–14 League Two table. York were beaten 1–0 on aggregate by Fleetwood Town in the play-off semi-final, the decisive goal being scored by former York player Matty Blair at home in the first leg.
After 2013–14 ended York released Tom Allan, Calvin Andrew, Chris Dickinson, Shaquille McDonald, Sander Puri and Adam Reed, with David McGurk retiring from professional football. Ryan Bowman and Lanre Oyebanjo left the club to sign for Torquay United and Crawley Town respectively, but Michael Coulson signed a new contract. Worthington made eight signings before the season kicked off, those being goalkeeper Jason Mooney from Tranmere Rovers, defenders Femi Ilesanmi from Dagenham & Redbridge, Marvin McCoy from Wycombe Wanderers and Dave Winfield from Shrewsbury Town, midfielders Lindon Meikle from Mansfield Town, Anthony Straker from Southend United and Luke Summerfield from Shrewsbury, and striker Jake Hyde from Barnet.
New home and away kits were brought in for the first time in two years. The home kit included red shirts with a white collar and white trims on the sleeves, white shorts and red socks. The away kit comprised light blue shirts with a white collar, a white double-chevron decoration at the top and white sleeves, light blue shirts and light blue socks. Benenden Health continued as shirt sponsors for the third successive season.
+ Pre-season match detailsDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceSheffield WednesdayHL0–23,312Raith RoversAW4–0Coulson 5', Winfield 25', Straker 34', Hyde 65'838St JohnstoneAD0–0944Hull CityHL0–22,301Nottingham ForestHL1–2Platt 51'1,714Sheffield UnitedHW2–0Jarvis (2) 56', 69'1,761
Review August
York started the season by playing away to Tranmere Rovers, who were new to League Two after being relegated from League One after 2013–14. Keith Lowe gave York the lead with a header from Meikle's corner in the 67th minute, before Tranmere equalised through James Rowe in stoppage time as the match ended a 1–1 draw. This was followed by a 1–0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers in the first round of the League Cup, after Harry Forrester scored for the League One team in stoppage time. Hyde scored from a Straker corner on his debut to give York the lead over Northampton Town in a home match, before the visitors made the score 1–1 in the 90th minute from a Marc Richards free kick. Cambridge United took a two-goal lead at York, before Hyde scored a header shortly before half-time and Wes Fletcher scored a penalty in the 83rd minute, seeing the match end a 2–2 draw. York then played away to Exeter City, who were also without a win this season, and drew 1–1; Exeter took the lead in the eighth minute before Lowe equalised with a header from a Summerfield corner in the 82nd minute. August ended with a fifth successive league draw after York were held 0–0 at home by Wycombe Wanderers, who had won three of their first four league matches.
September York were knocked out of the Football League Trophy in the first round after being beaten 2–0 away by Barnsley, with the League One team scoring twice in the second half. Their first win of the season came after beating Stevenage 3–2 away. Coulson and Fletcher scored in the first half for York before Stevenage levelled the score after the break, and Fletcher scored the winning goal with a 75th-minute penalty. This was followed by York's first league defeat of the season, losing 2–0 away to league leaders Burton Albion. Goalkeeper Michael Ingham made four excellent saves in York's 0–0 draw at home to Luton Town. Daniel Parslow was loaned to Conference Premier club Grimsby Town for one month, having failed to appear in the team after recovering from a long-term injury. York played Southend United at home, who took the lead early in the first half before Russell Penn equalised in first half stoppage time. The visitors scored twice during the second half before Winfield scored a consolation goal in the 85th minute, seeing the match finish a 3–2 defeat. York lost the second match in succession for the first time in 2014–15 after being beaten 2–0 away to Dagenham & Redbridge, the home team scoring in each half through Joss Labadie. Striker Ryan Brunt was signed on a one-month loan from Conference Premier club Bristol Rovers, with York's existing strikers having failed to score in five of the last seven matches.
October
York's run of two straight losses ended after drawing 0–0 at home to Portsmouth, in which Brunt missed a header from four yards in the third minute of stoppage time. Sheffield United's 19-year-old striker Diego De Girolamo, an Italy under-20 international, joined on a one-month youth loan as a result of injuries to Coulson, Fletcher and Hyde. De Girolamo scored seven minutes into his debut away to Newport County with a low finish, but after Penn was sent off for a second bookable offence the home team scored three goals in the second half, York losing the match 3–1. With York one place above the relegation zone Worthington resigned as manager, and was quoted saying "In recent weeks, performances have not been up to my high standards and I take full responsibility for this". Steve Torpey, who was Worthington's assistant manager, took over as caretaker manager before Russ Wilcox was appointed as manager two days after Worthington's departure. Wilcox had been sacked as Scunthorpe United manager a week earlier with them second from bottom in the League One table, having led them to promotion the previous season as League Two runners-up.
Wilcox's first match in charge was a 1–0 home defeat to Shrewsbury Town, who scored their goal in the 87th minute through James Collins, and this result saw York move into the relegation zone in 23rd place. Coulson gave York a 77th-minute lead away to Morecambe with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area, before the home team equalised in stoppage time. Former Australia under-20 goalkeeper Alex Cisak was signed on a one-month loan from Premier League club Burnley. He debuted in York's 1–1 home draw with Mansfield Town, in which York took the lead in the 20th minute when De Girolamo turned and scored from close range having been set up by a Penn cross, before the away team equalised during the second half through Daniel Carr. Former Jamaica international striker Deon Burton, who played under Wilcox at Scunthorpe, was signed on a one-month loan.
November
York recorded their first victory since early September 2014 after winning 1–0 away against Cheltenham Town, De Girolamo scoring from a Coulson pass in the 43rd minute. De Girolamo was recalled early from his loan spell by Sheffield United as they wanted him for their two upcoming cup fixtures, after he had scored three times in four York matches. AFC Bournemouth's Guadeloupe international defender Stéphane Zubar joined on loan until 4 January 2015, with Parslow being loaned back to Grimsby until the same date. York drew 1–1 at home with their divisional rivals AFC Wimbledon in the first round of the FA Cup; Hyde gave York the lead in the eighth minute after scoring from Coulson's low cross, before Andy Frampton equalised for the away team on 22 minutes. Burton was ruled out for two to three months with a medial ligament injury suffered in this match, resulting in his loan at the club being curtailed. York signed 19-year-old Middlesbrough defender Brad Halliday on a one-month loan as cover and competition for McCoy. Fellow strugglers Oxford United won 1–0 at York, James Roberts scoring from three yards after Danny Hylton flicked on a Brian Howard corner in the 35th minute, and Wilcox surmised the result saying "The lads are working as hard as they possibly can but I'm just looking for a little bit more now".
York were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 3–1 away to AFC Wimbledon in a first round replay; after Fletcher had given York a fifth-minute lead with a 30-yard volley the home team scored three times in the second half. In York's 3–1 away win over bottom-placed Hartlepool United the home team took the lead through Scott Fenwick in the first half, before Lowe scored two headers in the space of two minutes and Hyde scored with a shot from outside the penalty area in the second half. Cisak's loan was extended, having conceded just three goals in four appearances, while De Girolamo rejoined on a second youth loan, both until 4 January 2015. Striker Carlton Morris joined on a youth loan from Norwich City until 4 January 2015, after scoring once in 10 appearances while on loan with League Two rivals Oxford earlier in the season. Hyde scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to give York a 1–1 draw away to Plymouth Argyle; his goal came after reacting first to goalkeeper Luke McCormick's parry of De Girolamo's header.
December