York City set to receive big fee from Hearts for defender - would break Sheffield Wednesday 27-year record
Richard Cresswell signed for Sheffield Wednesday 27 years ago
A newly-promoted League Two side is set to sell a player for a club record fee, surpassing the figure they received from Sheffield Wednesday for one of their stars 27 years ago.
York City will be back in the English Football League next season after 10 years in non-league. They won the National League title in dramatic fashion on the final day of the campaign after scoring in the 13th minute of added time to secure a 1-1 draw against Rochdale, who would have won automatic promotion themselves had they held on, although they did eventually go up through the play-offs.
Despite returning to the EFL, The Minstermen are reportedly set to sell highly-rated defender, Malachi Fagan-Walcott, 24, to Scottish Premiership side Hearts, who suffered heartbreak on the last day of the season as they were pipped to the league title by Celtic.
The fee is reported to be a club record sale, breaking the £950,000 fee Wednesday paid York for Richard Cresswell in 1999, who had been capped by England at youth level at the time. But the striker only scored three goals in 34 appearances, the majority of which came in the Premier League.
The move to Hillsborough did not work out but he went on to play for the likes of Preston, Leeds United, Sheffield United and won promotion to the top-flight with Stoke City in 2008. In total, he scored 142 goals in 652 appearances. Cresswell finished his career at York before announcing his retirement from football in December 2013 due to injury.
He said at the time: "Due to injury issues, I don't feel I can perform at the level I would like to anymore and that is very frustrating for me. I have had a wonderful career and have reached the highest level playing in the Premier League and can look back on some good times and great achievements."