Richard York

Richard Ernest York (25 April 1899 – 9 December 1969) was an English footballer, who in addition to a long club career with Aston Villa in the Football League appeared twice for the England national team. A winger, he spent 16 years at Villa from 1915 to 1931, and was on the losing team in the 1924 FA Cup Final. He later had brief spells with Port Vale and Brierley Hill Alliance.

Richard York

Personal information
Full name	Richard Ernest York[1]
Date of birth	25 April 1899[1]
Place of birth	Birmingham, England[1]
Date of death	9 December 1969 (aged 70)[1]
Place of death	Handsworth, West Midlands, England[1]
Height	5 ft 9 ^1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2]
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
	Handsworth Royal
	Birchfield Rangers
	the RAF
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1915–1931	Aston Villa	356	(79)
1931–1932	Port Vale	26	(5)
	Brierley Hill Alliance
Total		382+	(84+)
National team
1922–1926	England	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

York started his career with Handsworth Royal, Birchfield Rangers and the Royal Air Force, and also guested for Chelsea during World War I. In March 1915 he joined Aston Villa as an amateur, signing professional forms in August 1919.[3] He scored one goal in 17 games in 1919–20, but did not feature in the 1920 FA Cup Final, which ended in a 1–0 victory over Huddersfield Town at Stamford Bridge.[3] He appeared just 11 times in 1920–21, before going on to make 47 appearances in the 1921–22 campaign, as the "Villans" finished fifth in the First Division.[3] He scored nine goals in 37 games in 1922–23 and five goals in 43 games in 1923–24.[3] He also appeared at Wembley in the 1924 FA Cup Final, in a 2–0 defeat to Newcastle United.[3] He scored seven goals in 34 matches in 1924–25, before hitting 20 goals in 44 appearances in 1925–26.[3] He bagged 13 goals in 43 games in 1926–27, before being limited to just four goals in 30 appearances in 1927–28.[3] He rediscovered his scoring form with 18 strikes in 48 matches in 1928–29, before hitting seven goals in 32 games in 1929–30.[3] However he played just four times in the 1930–31 campaign, as Villa finished second in the league with an English record of 128 top-flight league goals scored.[3]

He joined Port Vale in June 1931, making his debut in a 3–1 win at Plymouth Argyle on 29 August.[1] He was a first team regular until he was struck by injury in December of that year.[1] After his recovery he played infrequently, and ended the 1931–32 season with five goals in 26 Second Division appearances.[1] He left The Old Recreation Ground and was transferred to Brierley Hill Alliance in August 1932.[1]

International career

He made two appearances for England, both 1–0 defeats to Scotland in April 1922 and April 1926.[4]

Statistics

Source:[5]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aston Villa	1919–20	First Division	17	1	0	0	17	1
	1920–21	First Division	11	1	0	0	11	1
	1921–22	First Division	41	2	6	0	47	2
	1922–23	First Division	36	9	1	0	37	9
	1923–24	First Division	37	3	6	2	43	5
	1924–25	First Division	30	6	4	1	34	7
	1925–26	First Division	40	19	4	1	44	20
	1926–27	First Division	42	12	1	0	43	12
	1927–28	First Division	28	4	2	0	30	4
	1928–29	First Division	42	16	6	2	48	18
	1929–30	First Division	28	6	4	1	32	7
	1930–31	First Division	4	0	0	0	4	0
	Total		356	79	34	7	390	86
Port Vale	1931–32	Second Division	26	5	0	0	26	5
Career total			382	84	34	7	416	91

Honours

Aston Villa

• FA Cup runner-up: 1924
• Football League First Division runner-up: 1930–31

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 319. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. Brum (22 August 1921). "First Division prospects. Aston Villa". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
3. "Detailed bio". Aston Villa Database. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
4. "Richard York". englandstats.com. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
5. Richard York at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)