(Image: Archive)
IN today's series of subscriber-only nostalgia deep dives, we look back at a time when York City manager Jackie McNamara found himself in legal trouble after not buying a train ticket!
On this day in 2016, York City were beaten 2-0 by Aldershot Town 24 hours on from manager Jackie McNamara finding himself in the headlines after being convicted of fare dodging and ordered to pay nearly £500 in fines and court costs.
Since his appointment as manager, McNamara had been splitting his time between Edinburgh and York, as his wife and children remained in Scotland.
He was summonsed to appear before York magistrates, with an address listed in Loanhead, near Edinburgh.
During the court proceedings, he pleaded guilty to travelling on the railway between Edinburgh and York without obtaining a ticket.
As a result, he was fined £250 and ordered to pay a £30 statutory surcharge and £130 in prosecution costs.
In addition, McNamara was required to pay £86 in compensation to the train company.
Despite the conviction, McNamara did not respond to calls and messages from The Press regarding the court case.
- How does Scott Lindsey's league start compare to York City's last eight managers?
- Red arrows tactics, unsung Pearce and clean sheet ease - talking points from City win
- Star performers earn individual praise from Scott Lindsey
The conviction came during a challenging week for the Bootham Crescent boss.
Following a disappointing 2-0 defeat the previous weekend at Barrow, he announced his intention to consider his position as the struggling club’s manager.
Reports surfaced indicating that he did not attend training on the Monday following the defeat, with responsibilities handed over to assistant manager Simon Donnelly and goalkeeper coach Craig Hinchliffe.
The manager faced criticism from some supporters after being photographed by the GentlemenoftheRoad Twitter account picking up his new Audi A7 from a dealership in Edinburgh on the same morning.
Although the tweet was later deleted, a City fan managed to take a screenshot before it disappeared.
Upon returning to the club’s Wigginton Road training base on Tuesday, McNamara provided no explanation for his absence during the training session.
At that point, the club found itself just two points above the National League relegation zone.
Visitors Aldershot managed a mere two shots on target, yet still secured a 1-0 victory, marking the fifth consecutive game in which Jackie McNamara’s side failed to score.
The result prompted renewed calls for the City chief’s dismissal, accompanied by unprintable, self-mocking chants from sections of the David Longhurst Stand that expressed their forthright views on the fare being served up.
McNamara had made attempts to invigorate the team by recalling players Scott Fenwick, Kaine Felix, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Danny Galbraith, who had been absent due to injury throughout the season, in an effort to bolster the home side’s attack.
Aidan Connolly, who had served as the team’s attacking inspiration during previous victories against Woking and Solihull, was well policed before being stretchered off just before half-time following a hefty but fair collision with Aldershot's centre-back Will Evans.
The visitors started brightly and could have scored twice before finally opening the scoring in the 29th minute.
First, home goalkeeper Kyle Letheren reacted quickly to parry away a 15-yard shot from Jake Gallagher after Iffy Allen had left City right-back Shaun Rooney in his wake.
Then, Shamir Fenelon somehow managed to clear the ball just four yards from goal after meeting a low cross from the left delivered by Bernard Mensah.
However, Mensah was not to be denied in the 29th minute when he broke through a disjointed offside trap to race clear down the left channel after Nick Arnold and Matt McClure had combined on that flank.
He firmly blasted the ball past an advancing and exposed Letheren from 15 yards.
Following the goal, Felix and Rooney both had cross-shots turned away at the near post by Aldershot keeper Jake Cole, while Jack Higgins could not steer a Connolly corner on target.
In the second-half, Adams side-footed wide from the edge of the box after exchanging passes with Allen, but Gary Waddock’s men chose to retreat deeper for the remainder of the match, confident in their ability to handle the Minstermen’s forward threat.
This tactic ultimately paid off, albeit not without a few scares along the way.
Galbraith lifted an ambitious 30-yard effort over the bar, while Fenwick had the ball in the net, only to be flagged offside after Matty Dixon’s strike had been pushed away by Cole.
The Hampshire outfit’s keeper also dived low to his right to keep out curling attempts from Galbraith and Brodie from outside the box, before skipper Simon Heslop shot inches wide from 12 yards.
Amid chants of "Jackie Out," the hosts’ most glaring missed opportunity came in the 89th minute when Daniel Nti raced clear down the right wing but, in a two-on-one situation, failed to pass to Brodie for a near-certain goal, instead hitting Evans.