 Dolan was sacked in May 2003, the new board citing financial reasons for his departure. At twenty-seven years, York player Chris Brass was appointed player-manager in June 2003, which made him the youngest Football League managerial appointment since 1946. The club's lease of Bootham Crescent was extended to May 2004, and plans proceeded to develop Huntington Stadium ahead of a possible move, but problems bringing the ground to Football League standards were encountered. The board preferred to stay at Bootham Crescent, and they bought the site in February 2004 after six months of negotiations. The deal came after York were lent £ 2 million by The Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), with which they bought 75.89 % of BCH shares and all of the 20,000 shares owned by Persimmon. Once plans for a new stadium were settled, the loan would be converted a grant to help fund the move. York equalled a club record by winning the first four matches of 2003 – 04, and by mid-January 2004 were tenth in the table. They won none of their final twenty fixtures, garnering only five more points as they finished bottom of the Third Division. York were relegated into the Conference National after seventy-five years of Football League membership. Beck renounced his title of chairman in September 2004 because he favoured a more democratic approach for a fan-owned club. The board was restructured and Jason McGill became the managing director.
