So, now the year comes to an end, we look back on a successful one for York City, in which they gained promotion back to the Vanarama National League after five years away.
So, now the year comes to an end, we look back on a successful one for York City, in which they gained promotion back to the Vanarama National League after five years away.
January
As January arrived, and the new year kicked off for the Minstermen, they were struggling in mid-table in National League North. John Askey had been appointed as manager towards the back end of 2021, and looked to carry City back up the table.
Askey’s side had to wait until the 15th January to play their first proper game of the year, due to coronavirus and frozen pitches, however, they made their break away count, recording a 1-0 win over Slough in the FA Trophy.
A run of two defeats to Kidderminster and Bradford Park Avenue were to follow though, the latter being a highly embarrassing one, as they were thumped 3-0 on home soil.
An unlikely point gained at home to league leaders Gateshead came as a surprise to many, and gave the Minstermen some momentum going into the second month of 2022.
February
Following on from that important 1-1 draw, City would go on an impressive 12-game unbeaten run. An away tonking of Blyth came before 4-2 revenge at Bradford. One of the best home wins came after that, as the North Yorkshire side managed to make the FA Trophy quarter-finals after a comeback from 2-0 down to Morpeth, which they won 3-2.
Comfortable victories over Guiseley and Telford also saw the Minstermen score three in each, carrying the unbeaten run into March.
March
Positive scorelines against the likes of Fylde and Darlington, just to name a few, occurred in the lead-up to a hugely awaited trophy game away at higher-league London side Dagenham & Redbridge.
With City approaching this game as clear underdogs, and trailing by one-goal throughout the majority, no one expected the dramatic finale to the thriller. After being awarded a penalty in the 90+5th minute, Clayton Donaldson cooly panenka’d it down the middle, to take it to a penalty shootout, which the visitors would go on to win 7-6.
Failing to overcome Southport nor Curzon, as York played out draws with both, they finally succumbed to their first loss in almost two months, losing 1-0 to Boston.
A Kurt Willoughby free kick against Leamington secured City three points to end the month on, and get back to winning ways.
April
April was opened spectacularly, as the Minstermen travelled back down to London for an FA Trophy semi-final at National League outfit Bromley. With a trip to Wembley at stake, City broke the deadlock through Willoughby after only two minutes, and more or less outplayed the Ravens for the first half. The second half was a completely different story though, Bromley coming back and putting three past a promising York side, to knock them out and deny them a spot in the final.
Attentions were turned straight back to the league, but City appeared demoralised, falling to two straight defeats away at Kettering and Brackley.
The climax of the season approaching, a 2-2 draw at Chorley was carved out before the Minstermen found three points against Spennymoor.
A 3-0 defeat away at Alfreton didn’t seem to bother City too much, as they went on to push further up the table, following victories over Chester and Farsley.
May
2nd May saw the Minstermen play AFC Fylde in their final regular home game of the season. It was the same story as the reverse trip to Fylde, with Lenell John-Lewis and Mitch Hancox the scorers. A 2-1 win confirmed a playoff spot for York, and it was also delight for goalkeeper Peter Jameson, who won the Clubman of the Year accolade.
The final match of the 2022/23 campaign was away at Telford, who were looking to avoid relegation. Despite their playoff confirmation, City still had something to play for - they had to better Chorley’s result to gain a home tie in the first knockout game, which would be against Chorley.
Telford took the lead, but York managed to equalize through Akil Wright, meaning they would finish 5th and host the Magpies in the playoffs, while a point for the home side helped them to safety and avoid the drop.
A Wednesday evening in May would turn out to be a memorable one for York City, who saw off Chorley in the eliminator, courtesy of goals from John-Lewis and Hancox, once again.
A trip to Brackley was to ensue in the semi-final, but it was far from promising that the Minstermen had never won at St. James Park before.
Most of the action came in the first half - a York counter-attack got the ball to that man, Lenell John-Lewis, in front of goal, and he made no mistake in poking home at the second attempt, one minute before half-time, to send a sold out away end of 600 into raptures.
However, alarm bells were evidently ringing for Brackley, who went straight down the other end, and were awarded a penalty. James Armson stepped up, and went left, but Jameson guessed correctly, and managed to keep it out.
Both sides fired blanks in the second half, resulting in City’s progression to the playoff final, which they would amazingly host at the LNER Community Stadium, against Boston United, who finished in 7th place.
It was a chance to return to the National League, after five long years away, and in front of a record crowd, it was the home side that took an early lead. The noise when John-Lewis’ effort hit the back of the net after five minutes was truly deafening, and you could tell it meant something huge.
1-0 it remained for the majority of the remainder of the match, until the 85th minute, when the goalscorer won the ball and played it across to Maziar Kouhyar on the right. Kouhyar made a dart into the box, and let fly as he smashed home to send City back to the 5th tier of English football.
John Askey had made the impossible possible!
June
An entire month without football came around again, but fans were still in celebration over their promotion and playoff win.
The Summer signings began, ahead of the new season, one that would be in the National League.
Players such as Clayton Donaldson, Kurt Willoughby and Matty Brown were released, while others including Ryan Whitley, Paddy McLaughlin and Maxim Kouogun were kept on.
Striker Scott Boden became the first new signing, followed by Port Vale winger Alex Hurst.
July
The recruits kept on coming, with a total 16 new players signing contracts for 2022/23, not excluding the previous season’s loanees - Lenell John-Lewis and Mitch Hancox.
A day short of the fixture release, some big news arose from the football club, which began the night before with a tweet from popular commentator and fan Guy Mowbray, stating, “Stand by your beds #ycfc.”
On July 5th, it was announced that chairman Jason McGill has sold his stake in York City back to the Supporters’ Trust after a long 15 years with the club. Businessman Glen Henderson would also hold 51% of that share, the Trust taking the remaining 49%.
Once things had boiled down shortly, pre-season was back, with York hosting Championship outfit Middlesbrough for the second season running. It was the visitors who took away a 3-2 win, as City’s goals came from new signing Manny Duku and an own-goal.
Pre-season continued to follow in the same way unfortunately for Askey’s men - Bradford City and Notts County were victorious at the LNER Community Stadium, plus City couldn’t claim any more than a loss at lower-league Guiseley and Macclesfield.
It wasn’t a huge achievement, but their only friendly win came at local side Selby Town, where the Minstermen saw Selby off with a 4-0 win.
August
Opening day on the 6th saw City host Woking for their first match back in the National League. And it couldn’t have gone much better, contrasting their pre-season campaign. Maziar Kouhyar, the man who closed last season’s scoring, opened this season’s scoring in the first half, before York-raised right-back Michael Duckworth finished off a clever set-piece routine to give the newly-promoted side a 2-0 home win.
Then the Minstermen travelled south to Maidstone, but despite going 1-0 up and goalkeeper Ethan Ross saving a penalty, it ended in a 2-1 Stones win.
Promotion contenders Solihull Moors was a test, though City did manage to carve out a 1-1 draw, before again slipping to a narrow defeat at home to Eastleigh.
At this point, it was fair to say, form was unpredictable. Another trip down to the capital saw City edge Maidenhead to a 1-0 victory, followed by a draw against recently-relegation Oldham, ending the month on a two-game unbeaten streak.
September
September started in the same way that August ended, with an impressive win at Yeovil moving York further up the table to 9th.
The sad passing of Her Majesty The Queen delayed City’s return to action, but when they did return, it wasn’t bad at all. After trailing at home to FA Trophy winners Bromley for some of the game, an own goal got them back on level terms, before Duku won it deep in injury time, to claim three more points in the playoff race.
Bottom of the table Scunthorpe on the road was next up - a John-Lewis penalty gave the Minstermen a lead at the break, but they couldn’t hold on to secure the win, as the Iron’s Rob Apter equalled the score late on.
A good patch of form soon disintegrated, with a 3-1 loss at home to title fighters Notts County following.
October
Moving into October, York knew they had to return to winning ways somehow, and Barnet away didn’t seem like a great chance for that to happen, but the unpredictability of the National League is immense. After a lengthy 30 minute delay to kickoff due to the absence of a doctor, City grabbed two goals within the first 26 minutes. That set them in their stride, as things got better with a Barnet red card. They were even able to add three more goals to their tally - John-Lewis scored two, recording goals in every away game he had appeared in so far!
You couldn’t have guessed what happened next - a Yorkshire derby away at Halifax, who sat within the bottom four, ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat, sending the Minstermen back to square one again.
One was the magic number for City, as they bounced back against yet another relegation-threatened side in Torquay, by just one goal, coming from Alex Hurst.
A home draw against Dagenham was followed by a breather from league action - Bury hosted City in an FA Cup qualifier, and it wasn’t easy, but the visitors managed to get the job done with a 2-1 result.
The National League restarted again, but not in the best way for City - they were beaten by Aldershot and Southend, with a 1-1 draw with Chesterfield sandwiched in the middle, missing out on a chance to go 4th in the table.
November
Things then took a turn for the worst, as chairman Glen Henderson took questions from fans on BBC Radio York - the impression given was that his relationship with manager John Askey was a negative one. The gaffer allegedly told Henderson, “Don’t tell me how to do my job.”
On the subject of Askey, travelling to League One Shrewsbury was a big game for him, taking on his former club. York put up a good display, but failed to force a replay, heading out of the FA Cup after a 2-1 defeat.
Back on the road at Boreham Wood in the league, a John-Lewis penalty split the points as it ended in a draw, before City played in front of the BT Sport cameras at Altrincham.
They took the lead through a Kouogun header, but it wasn’t to be, as a poor second half showing allowed Alty to claim all three points.
The most shocking news was to evolve from the club on the morning of 16th November, when they were on a six-game winless run in the league.
Popular promotion-winning manager John Askey had received his P45 and was to part ways with York, causing mass disagreement amongst fans - an interview later that day that Radio York hosted with Askey ended in tears for the manager, who noted that he had to stand in front of a printer and wait for his sacking letter to print.
Youth team manager Tim Ryan took charge of the next three games. This began with Wealdstone at home - things began to look up for City as Duku gave them the lead at the break. However, the bad form continued, as Stones cruelly forced a loss upon their opponents, equalizing then winning the game in the last minute.
Fellow newly-promoted club Dorking Wanderers were the next test for Ryan’s side. The Minstermen’s away form had been better than at home this season, but they still couldn’t end their winless run, falling victim to a 1-0 loss.
December
Back at home, big spenders and Hollywood-owned Wrexham looked an impossible task, but York did in fact manage a 1-1 draw. The Welsh Dragons took the lead late on through an overhead kick, though there was still chance for City to grab a late leveller, thanks to Duku ahead, who smashed home on his first touch since coming on as a substitute.
In the week leading up to the Wrexham match, York’s new manager was announced as former-Tottenham Hotspur backroom staff member David Webb, who had plenty of experience at the top level, but none of them as a manager.
Leeds Youth Development Phase Lead Michael Morton also joined as Webb’s assistant. Due to Webb falling ill shortly before what was supposed to be his first game at the helm, Morton acted as his temporary replacement.
Woking were the form side in the league, and City were nearer the bottom of that table. Morton had a huge job on his hands to end the side’s freefall period, and so he did, getting the Minstermen over the line with a brilliant 2-0 win, goals coming from Sam Sanders and John-Lewis.
A statement released from the Supporters’ Trust stated that disliked majority shareholder Glen Henderson had offered to sell his shares back to the Trust, sparking delight on social media.
Once again, Morton took charge against Blyth in the FA Trophy. Duku headed City in front in the first half, before adding a second in the next. Nathan Thomas also scored a brace, while John-Lewis netted his first home goal of the season.
It couldn’t have been going much better for York City, with everything starting to swing in their favour. But there was yet another twist to the tale…
Another interview with Radio York saw Henderson mention he had rescinded his offer, however the Trust believe this is an action that cannot be taken by the chairman.
The downhill slope began again in Webb’s first game on the touchline. Gateshead, sitting second-bottom of the table, travelled to the LNER Community Stadium on Boxing Day without an away win in over three months. It was all in the script for City to gift them three points in a 3-0 loss, which meant the Minstermen would end the year on defeat.
They now prepare to begin 2023 with a trip to Gateshead, and looking for a win to boost them back up the table from their current mid-table position (16th).