 The 1980 – 81 season started comfortably for York City , and the team were fourteenth in the table by mid @-@ January 1981 . However , three wins from the last eighteen matches saw them finish in bottom place . York 's seventh application for re @-@ election was successful with forty @-@ six votes . Poor form at home contributed to York occupying the bottom half of the table for most of 1981 – 82 , and a club record of twelve successive matches without a home win . Barry Lyons was sacked as manager in December 1981 , and under caretaker manager Kevin Randall the club dropped into the bottom four . Former York player and club director Barry Swallow took over as caretaker manager in March 1982 , and several convincing home wins toward the end of the season helped the team to seventeenth place . Denis Smith , who had played on loan from Stoke City the previous season , was appointed player @-@ manager in May 1982 , with Viv Busby as his assistant player @-@ coach . York finished 1982 – 83 in seventh place ; their inconsistent away form in the last half of the season led to them missing out on promotion . The club occupied one of the top two places in 1983 – 84 from the second week of the season onwards , and won the Fourth Division championship with 101 points . They became the first team to achieve a three @-@ figure points total in a Football League season . The Yorkshire Evening Press billed them the " Team of the Century " . York set new club records for most wins ( thirty @-@ one ) , most away wins ( thirteen ) and most goals ( ninety @-@ one ) . For the first time since 1954 – 55 , York had two players score over twenty league goals in a season ; these were John Byrne and Keith Walwyn . A profit of almost £ 15 @,@ 000 was posted and the club aspired to further progress and promotion . 
