Though not lifting the trophy until 1946, Derby’s FA Cup record in the 1930s was generally very good but it also threw up more than its fair share of tough away ties at lower-division clubs and when the draw for the Third Round in 1934/35 was made it sent the Rams to Bootham Crescent to face York City of the Third Division (North). At this point, York were a relatively new club, having only been formed in 1922, and were in only their fifth Football League season. Their ground, too, was very new, having only been the club’s home since August of 1932.

Derby went into the game, due to be played on Saturday, January 12^th, in 9^th place in the table having drawn their three previous games but having lost only once in eight. York’s recent results had been much more inconsistent though they had won both their previous home games which had elevated them to 17^th place. In the Cup, York had reached Round Three after defeating Burton Town 3-2 and New Brighton 1-0 in the previous rounds.

For the Cup tie, York, who had been suffering from a 30% drop in attendances since moving to their new ground, took the decision to increase prices for this fixture. The 1,000 Main Stand seats would be priced at 5 shillings and 2,000 Enclosure tickets at 2s 6d. 6,000 places in the Popular Stand were doubled in price to 2 shillings and the remaining 10,000 terracing places on sale at one shilling. Derby quickly sold out their allocation. Expecting a bumper crowd, then, the home club borrowed two portable turnstiles from local rugby league club York RI and additional crush barriers were hastily assembled on the terrace. York evidently expected to set a new ground record for this game. This they did – but the match was not the sell-out they anticipated.

The York programme is, as the front cover states, a special “Cup Souvenir Issue” priced at 2d for 20 very readable pages.

Advertising is limited and there are 4 pages covering the Derby team including a team photo and individual photos of Sammy Crooks, Dally Duncan and Hughie Gallacher. The editorial column headlined “Our Day” is effusive in its praise for Derby, its excitement at being in the Third Round and informs the reader that, so far, £6,000 has been spent on the new ground (the sub-text, perhaps, being ‘so why don’t you attend more often?’)

Team lineups are in the centre pages, players numbered from 1 to 22 and surrounded by adverts for local businesses including one for tobacconist R.Wheldale which is wonderfully non-PC in its wording!

On to the match itself, then, and the DET’s reporter (Mark Eaton) described the pitch as “a mass of thick, sticky mud about ankle deep” and “a little grass on the wings” which seemed not to lend itself to a passing style. Even dribbling proved tricky – Hughie Gallacher found himself through on goal on three occasions only to kick at fresh air with the ball stuck in the mud a yard behind him.

After a goalless first half, York almost took the lead when Collin’s pass-back to ‘keeper Jack Kirby got, you guessed it, stuck in the mud and allowed York inside-left Ted Hathway to bear down on goal only for Kirby to bravely dive at his feet and knock the ball clear. Just as a replay looked likely, though, in the 86^th minute Sammy Crooks stormed down the wing, passed to Arthur Groves who got to the by-line and crossed for the onrushing Crooks to bury the ball in the net from six yards. Crooks almost made it two in the 90^th-minute but his shot hit the upright.

Derby were through, then, and would find themselves drawn at home to Swansea Town in the Fourth Round. A 3-0 win there would send them to Goodison Park in the Fifth Round where the Rams would exit following a 3-1 defeat. For York, the increased ticket prices resulted in receipts of £1,041 from a crowd of 13,612 which would remain their highest crowd until Huddersfield arrived in a Cup tie in 1938.