The man who commentated on some of York City’s biggest highs and lows is to retire.
BBC Radio York’s Barry Parker has worked for the corporation for more than 40 years. He spent 20 years of this commentating on City.
But the end of this season saw him hang up his microphone for good.
Barry first covered City games from 1990 to 2008. He was back on the Bootham Crescent beat between 2010 and 2014.
He switched to commentating on Harrogate Town from 2015 to now.
During his time at the mic in York, he covered some of their biggest moments – including the Division Three play-off final victory against Crewe Alexandra at Wembley in 1993 and the stunning 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Coca Cola Cup two years later.
He was also at the mic when tragedy struck and City striker David Longhurst collapsed and died on the Bootham Crescent pitch during a game in 1990.
His distinctive style has won him fans over the years, including City chairman Jason McGill.
“Barry is such a charismatic person. He is absolutely knowledgeable about football and about York City,” Jason said today.
“If the games weren’t very entertaining, Barry would take your mind to somewhere else and describe what was happening at the ground. That was quite endearing.
“He was a part of everyone’s memories growing up listening to the commentaries. He was Mr York City on the radio for many years.”
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BBC Radio York’s executive producer Anna Evans paid tribute to him: “Barry’s career with the BBC has been immense, spanning four decades.
“It’s rare to find someone so passionate about sport and radio. Following his final commentary game, we received so many messages from listeners sharing memories and wishing him well.
“It’s been an honour to have him as part of our team. We will miss him here at BBC Radio York.”
The man himself has loved his career. “When I came out of college in 1979 I had no idea what I was going to do,” Barry said.
“I’ve had 40 wonderful years doing a job that I loved and being paid for it – I’ve been so lucky. If I’ve done the job well, it gets appreciated not by one or two people but by thousands, which is very heart-warming.”