There are football clubs, and then there are football families. Barton Town, ninth in the English football pyramid and proud members of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, are very much the latter. Which is why, when one of their own was taken far too soon, the grief did not fade with the final whistle — it settled in, quietly and permanently, among the stands and the dressing rooms and the goals James Hitchcock once kept.

James — Hitchy to everyone at the club — died in December 2024, aged 32, following an unprovoked attack at York Railway Station. He had been on an annual Christmas day out with friends when he was struck from behind. A single punch. He never recovered. Leeds Crown Court later heard he suffered a fractured skull and brain damage when he hit the ground. Mckenzie Dicicco, then 22, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for six years and eight months in July 2025. The sentencing judge described it as a cowardly, deliberate and vicious attack on a man who had no chance to defend or brace himself.

The day before the attack, James had pulled off a fine save in a 1-1 draw with Bottesford Town. Manager Anthony Bowsley remembers calling over to him as he came off the pitch, joking that he looked like Nigel Martyn — a nod to the Leeds United goalkeeper who was one of James's boyhood heroes. James had grown up going to Elland Road with his father Chris during David O'Leary's era, and had spent time in the Leeds academy before making his way through the non-league game. He joined Barton Town in the summer of 2024, his last move in football.

He chuckled at the Nigel Martyn remark. It was the last game he would play.

His widow, April, describes the period around that night with a clarity that never quite gets easier to hear. She had just put their son Freddie to bed when the call came through. She packed a bag, assuming concussion, a couple of nights in hospital at most. What followed was a life support machine at Hull Royal Infirmary, and then the unimaginable.

"He should be stood there," April, now 32, says simply, looking towards the goalmouth at Barton's ground. "It's really sad looking at where James used to stand and saying — where is he?"

Freddie is two years old now. James never got to spend that first Christmas with him. The pair had married in July 2022, and Freddie arrived six months before James died — long enough for fatherhood to take hold, not long enough for any of the years that should have followed.

His friend and team-mate Andy Norfolk was part of the group in York that day. He had taken a taxi back to Hull early to avoid a wait for the train. The last thing he remembered was James saying he was going to grab some food. Defender Jack Bulless, who had played alongside James at Bridlington Town too, should have been there but pulled out ill. The what-ifs must weigh heavily on both of them.

On Saturday, Barton Town host Chorley in the FA Cup third qualifying round — one of the most significant matches in the club's history. April and Freddie will be there. The squad will carry James with them, as they always do.

"Hitchy is always with us," as those close to him have said.

His father Chris put it another way. He talked about a life changed forever by one senseless act. "I don't live any more — I exist," he said. "I try and be happy, I try and do things and I put a brave face on. But it'll never be the same again for me."

Non-league football is full of people like James Hitchcock. Men and women who give their weekends, their evenings, their energy to clubs that will never make the back pages — who play for the love of it, for the banter in the changing room, for the post-match pint and the camaraderie that no top-flight transfer fee can manufacture. On Saturday, one of those clubs plays one of the biggest games in its history. And it will feel, quietly and profoundly, like it means more than three points.

Frequently asked

What happened to Barton Town goalkeeper James Hitchcock?
James Hitchcock, a 32-year-old goalkeeper for non-league Barton Town, died in December 2024 after being punched in an unprovoked attack at York Railway Station. He suffered a fractured skull and brain damage and died in hospital. Mckenzie Dicicco was jailed for six years and eight months after pleading guilty to manslaughter in July 2025.
Who are Barton Town FC and what league do they play in?
Barton Town are a non-league club based in Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, competing in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division — the ninth tier of English football.
When is Barton Town's FA Cup tie against Chorley?
Barton Town face Chorley in the FA Cup third qualifying round at their home ground on Saturday. It is considered one of the biggest matches in the club's history.