{{short description|English footballer (1899-1969)}} {{use British English|date=June 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Dicky York | image = | caption = | fullname = Richard Ernest York<ref name="kent"/> | birth_date = {{birth date|1899|04|25|df=y}}<ref name="kent"/> | birth_place = Handsworth, Staffordshire, England<ref name="kent"/> | death_date = {{death date and age|1969|12|09|1899|04|25|df=y}}<ref name="kent"/> | death_place = Handsworth, England<ref name="kent"/> | height = {{height|ft=5|in=9+1/2}}<ref>{{cite news |title=First Division prospects. Aston Villa |author=Brum |newspaper=Athletic News |location=Manchester |date=22 August 1921 |page=5}}</ref> | position = Winger | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Handsworth Royal | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = Birchfield Rangers | youthyears3 = 1915–1916| youthclubs3 = Aston Villa | years1 = 1916–1931| clubs1 = Aston Villa| caps1 = 356| goals1 = 79 | years2 = 1931–1932| clubs2 = Port Vale| caps2 = 26| goals2 = 5 | years3 = | clubs3 = Brierley Hill Alliance| caps3 = | goals3 = | totalcaps = 382+| totalgoals = 84+ | nationalyears1 = 1919–1920| nationalteam1 = England Schoolboys| nationalcaps1 = 2| nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 1922–1926| nationalteam2 = England | nationalcaps2 = 2| nationalgoals2 = 0 | nationalyears3 = | nationalteam3 = Football League | nationalcaps3 = 2| nationalgoals3 = 0 }}

'''Richard Ernest York''' (25 April 1899 – 9 December 1969), known as '''Dicky York'''<ref name="AVFC History – Dicky York">{{Cite web |url=https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/dicky-york |title=Dicky York, Villa Winger – AVFC History |website=AVFChistory.Co.UK |language=en |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205134251/https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/dicky-york |url-status=live }}</ref> (also spelled '''Dickie York'''<ref name="Vintage Footballers – Dickie York">{{Cite web |url=https://www.vintagefootballers.com/?s=York+Dickie |title=Vintage Footballers – Dickie York |website=VintageFootballers.com |language=en |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220205140054/https://www.vintagefootballers.com/?s=York+Dickie |url-status=live }}</ref>), 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.

==Early and personal life== Richard Ernest York was born on 25 April 1899 in Handsworth, Staffordshire.<ref name="efo">{{cite web |title=England Players - Dicky York |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersXYZ/BioYorkRE.html |website=www.englandfootballonline.com |access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref> He was the eldest of two children to Richard and Edith Mary (née Bagley); his father was a press tool maker.<ref name="efo"/> York enlisted in the Army on 8 May 1917, and by April 1918 had transferred to the Royal Air Force.<ref name="efo"/> He married Constance G. Wright in 1923.<ref name="efo"/> He ran decorating and plumbing business in Birmingham after retiring from football.<ref name="efo"/>

== Club career == York started his career with his local clubs Handsworth Royal and Birchfield Rangers.<ref name="efo"/> In March 1915, he joined Aston Villa as a young amateur, signing professional forms in August 1919.<ref name="villa">{{cite web|url=http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/1474.html|title=Detailed bio|publisher=Aston Villa Database|access-date=4 June 2009}}</ref> He also guested for Chelsea and Boscombe Town during World War I. He scored one goal in 17 games for Villa 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.<ref name="villa"/> 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.<ref name="villa"/> He scored nine goals in 37 games in 1922–23 and five goals in 43 games in 1923–24.<ref name="villa"/> He also appeared at Wembley in the 1924 FA Cup final, in a 2–0 defeat to Newcastle United.<ref name="villa"/> He scored seven goals in 34 matches in 1924–25, before hitting 20 goals in 44 appearances in 1925–26.<ref name="villa"/> He bagged 13 goals in 43 games in 1926–27, before being limited to just four goals in 30 appearances in 1927–28.<ref name="villa"/> He rediscovered his scoring form with 18 strikes in 48 matches in 1928–29, before hitting seven goals in 32 games in 1929–30.<ref name="villa"/> 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.<ref name="villa"/>

He joined Port Vale in June 1931, making his debut in a 3–1 win at Plymouth Argyle on 29 August.<ref name="kent">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=319|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref> He was a first-team regular until he was struck by injury in December of that year.<ref name="kent"/> After his recovery he played infrequently, and ended the 1931–32 season with five goals in 26 Second Division appearances.<ref name="kent"/> He left the Old Recreation Ground and was transferred to Brierley Hill Alliance in August 1932.<ref name="kent"/>

== International career == He made two appearances for England, both 1–0 defeats to Scotland in April 1922 and April 1926.<ref>{{Englandstats|ref=y|access-date=4 June 2009}}</ref>

==Career statistics== ===Club statistics===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{ENFA}}</ref> |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="13"|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 |- !colspan="2"|Total !356!!79!!34!!7!!390!!86 |- |Port Vale |1931–32 |Second Division |26||5||0||0||26||5 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !382!!84!!34!!7!!416!!91 |}

===International statistics=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan=3 | England national team<ref name="efo"/> |- !Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |1922||1||0 |- |1926||1||0 |- !Total||2||0 |}

== Honours == '''Aston Villa''' *FA Cup runner-up: 1924<ref name="efo"/>

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:York, Dicky}} Category:1899 births Category:1969 deaths Category:Footballers from Handsworth, West Midlands Category:British Army personnel of World War I Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Category:Men's association football wingers Category:English men's footballers Category:England men's international footballers Category:Chelsea F.C. wartime guest players Category:Aston Villa F.C. players Category:Port Vale F.C. players Category:Brierley Hill Alliance F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:English Football League representative players Category:Military personnel from Birmingham, West Midlands Category:British Army soldiers Category:Royal Air Force airmen Category:20th-century English sportsmen