page_title: History of York City F.C. (1980–present)
section_title: 1998–2010: Financial problems and relegation from Football League
hierarchical_section_title: History of York City F.C. (1980–present) / 1998–2010: Financial problems and relegation from Football League
caption_attribution_description: English: McGill in 2007.
context_page_description: York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in York, North Yorkshire, England. Its history from the 1980–81 to the current season saw fluctuating fortunes in the 1980s and 1990s, and relegations from the Football League.
  York made their seventh re-election bid after 1980–81, before the club won its first and only league title after finishing first in the Fourth Division in 1983–84 with 101 points. They were the first team to score this many points in a Football League season. After four seasons in the Third Division, York were relegated in 1987–88, statistically the club's worst Football League season. They beat Crewe Alexandra on penalties at Wembley Stadium in the play-off final in 1992–93, winning promotion back to the third tier of English football, now renamed as the Second Division. The following season, York competed in the play-off semi-final, when they were beaten by Stockport County. Later in the 1990s, they knocked Premier League teams Manchester United and Everton out of the League Cup in successive seasons. After six seasons, York were relegated to the Third Division in 1998–99.
context_section_description: By mid October 1998, York were placed eighth in the Second Division. They slipped to the bottom third of the table after winning one point from a possible 21. Despite improved results over Christmas, York played 11 consecutive matches without a win. In mid March 1999, the club was just above the bottom four places, when Little was dismissed and player-coach Neil Thompson appointed caretaker manager. A flurry of transfers, including the departure of leading scorer Richard Cresswell to Premier League club Sheffield Wednesday for a club-record fee of £950,000, followed. After losing away to Manchester City on the last day of 1998–99, York dropped into the bottom four for the first time that season, and were relegated in 21st place. The club's trading loss for the season was £483,096, despite a record profit of £1,274,202 from lucrative transfers. Club historian David Batters said, "the stark reality was that the club had to sell to survive". In July 1999, the club and its real property assets, including the ground, were transferred to a holding company called Bootham Crescent Holdings (BCH) for £165,000. Thompson was dismissed in February 2000 after a run of one win from 12 matches during the middle of 1999–2000. Former Hull City manager Terry Dolan took over, and York finished the season in 20th place after conceding only five goals in the last 12 matches. Losses for the season were £667,255, and the wage bill of £1,635,736 was twice that of 1995.
  By mid February 2001, York were bottom of the Third Division table, but after losing only two of their last 16 matches they finished 2000–01 in 17th. They reached the FA Cup third round for the second time since 1986, but were beaten 3–0 by Premier League team Leicester City at Filbert Street. Record losses of £1,261,038 were reported in November 2001, before Craig announced in December that the club and the ground had been put up for sale for £4.5 million. Craig later said Bootham Crescent would close by June 2002, and the club would resign from the Football League if a buyer was not found. The club was taken over by motor racing driver John Batchelor in March 2002. He pledged to give the Supporters' Trust (ST) two seats on the board and announced a sponsorship deal with Persimmon that would see an undisclosed amount split between the club and his racing team. By late March 2002, York were second from bottom, before a run of five wins from the last eight matches saw them finish 2001–02 in 14th place. They reached the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since 1986, losing 2–0 at home to Premier League team Fulham.
  In May 2002, the club was rebranded York City Soccer Club as part of Batchelor's plan to market it in the United States. Persimmon, which had bought 10% of the shares in BCH, submitted planning applications for 93 homes on the site of Bootham Crescent, and Batchelor spoke of building York a new stadium at Clifton Moor. The club entered a creditors' voluntary agreement in November 2002, and the York Evening Press said York had been "plunged into the darkest, coldest days of its history". The club went into administration in December 2002, and was given five weeks to find a buyer or face bankruptcy. The ST donated £92,000 to give the club a temporary reprieve. The ST took control over the club in March 2003 after the Inland Revenue accepted an offer of £100,000 as payment for £160,000 owed in tax. Steve Beck became the new chairman. Batchelor had diverted almost all of the £400,000 Persimmon sponsorship money away from York to his racing team, and his promise of having ST members on the board never materialised. He left the club with a profit of £120,000 and admitted to asset stripping during his time as owner. Despite the off-field problems, York pushed for promotion in 2002–03 and were in an automatic promotion place by late March 2003. They won none of their last six matches and finished the season in 10th place.
  Dolan was dismissed in May 2003, the new board citing financial reasons for his departure. At 27 years, York player Chris Brass was appointed player-manage
caption: Jason McGill became the club's managing director in 2004.
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