We’ve met before…

York’s most memorable meeting with Newport was probably the FA Trophy final in 2012, when goals from Matty Blair and Lanre Oyebanjo helped the Minstermen to a 2-0 win to lift the Trophy for the first time in the club’s history. Famously, City then returned to Wembley the following weekend to overcome Luton in the playoff final to seal a remarkable double and win promotion back to the football league.

City have made three previous trips to Rodney Parade. The first came in 2013/14 when Newport won 3-0 against Nigel Worthington’s side, then the following season a 3-1 triumph for the Exiles turned out to be Worthington’s last game in charge of York. The most recent trip there in September 2015 was more successful, with Russ Wilcox’s York side strolling to a 3-0 victory, but it proved a false dawn: Wilcox would be dismissed the next month as City’s league form stuttered, and the Newport game ended up being the only away win they managed all season.

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What to expect from Newport

Newport came into the 2026/27 season seemingly in disarray, and widely expected to struggle. Christian Fuchs, who had taken over as manager and led them to safety last season, left unexpectedly at the start of pre-season, and it took over a month for a replacement to be recruited. When that replacement was announced as Hayden Mullins, whose only previous managerial experience was an underwhelming spell at Colchester five years ago, it did little to shift the expectation that the Exiles would be among the favourites for relegation. Yet Mullins’ side have started the season reasonably well, currently sitting in the top half of League Two.

Home form has been key for Newport this season: a return of three wins and two draws from the five league games played at Rodney Parade so far gives them the fourth highest home points total in the league. Recent positive results have been built on a solid defence, as the only goal they have conceded in the last four was an own goal from goalkeeper Jordan Wright in the 2-1 win over Grimsby.

Mullins has been setting up his team predominantly in a 4-2-3-1 formation, switching occasionally to a more defensive 5 at the back system for tricky away games. Their style is not possession based but instead relies on building a solid defensive base and making quick, direct counter attacks. In fact, this game will pit the side with the lowest average possession in League Two (Newport with 38%) against the side with the highest average possession (York with 65%), so it should provide an interesting clash of styles.

One of Newport’s strategies this season has been to use the experienced Christian Doidge as a target man to win long balls, with pacy wingers running off him. However, Doidge was forced off early in their last game with a groin issue and has been ruled out of Saturday’s game, so Shaquille Gwengwe may be moved from a wide role into the centre-forward position. Gwengwe certainly has the required goalscoring pedigree to play up front: having scored 47 times for non-league Poole Town last season, he’s already notched five for the Exiles since joining in the summer. Also making the headlines for Newport this season is energetic midfielder Harrison Biggins, after he scored an incredible goal from 77 yards out away at Salford.

Another scoring route that Newport have looked to exploit is set pieces. Their six goals scored from dead ball situations this season is the joint highest in League Two, and could be a cause for concern for City given their own propensity to concede from set pieces in recent weeks. Players to watch in terms of set piece threat include Gwengwe, who has scored twice from corners this season, plus centre-back and former York loanee Kyle Cameron who offers aerial presence and got his only goal of the season from a corner.

York team news

City have come through the week unscathed in terms of injuries, so there should be no enforced changes for Scott Lindsey to make. Lindsey has hinted at some changes in personnel for the game, however. The most likely switch would see Jeff King rewarded with a return to the starting eleven after his positive contribution as a second-half substitute against Northampton. Other players who could be pushing for a start include Jovan Malcolm and Frankie Maguire, with Joe Grey or Alex Newby perhaps most at risk of dropping out.

Morgan Williams, Hiram Boateng and Josh Stones have all returned to full training, but Saturday's game will come too soon for any of them to make the squad, with a late October return still looking most likely for the trio. Zech Medley and Craig Hewitt, meanwhile, remain out with injury.

• Can anyone really still be doubting Ollie Pearce?

• Is it time to rest Newby and give Malcolm a start?

• What can be done about the ongoing problems with defending set pieces?

• Where might we look to st…

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The fact that the two sides promoted from the National League last season have had the most difficulty with set pieces is interesting: is it the case that teams in League Two are better drilled in their dead ball routines, or simply that their players carry a greater aerial threat? The data does show that League Two has the highest proportion of set piece goals from all EFL divisions over each of the last five seasons, and last season that figure reached a peak of 31.8%. Even so, York are having more problems with defending set pieces than most.

To try and understand what might be happening here, let’s take a look at the individual goals York have conceded from set pieces this season. Firstly, what exactly counts as a set piece goal? Fotmob’s data (which puts City’s tally at six conceded) includes goals scored following corners, free-kicks and throw-ins, and this is not restricted to goals directly assisted from the set piece but also includes goals that arrive shortly afterwards, for instance if a corner is initially cleared then crossed back in leading to a goal. The numbers do not include penalty goals, so Bristol Rovers’ second goal at the LNER on opening day doesn’t count towards the six, although strangely goals scored from penalty rebounds do count, such as Jake Evans’ goal in the 3-2 loss at Cheltenham.

For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll set aside that Evans goal, as a penalty rebound would seem to have little in common with other set piece goals. We’ll also disregard Evans’ second strike from that game, which came after a throw-in, as that allows us to focus on the four remaining goals that all came from corners.

Rotherham (A) - Ewan Otoo

City fell behind to Rotherham at the New York Stadium back in August when defender Ewan Otoo met Kian Spence’s corner delivery from the right. Otoo was part of a cluster of four Rotherham players who gathered near the edge of the area before the corner was sent in, occupying four York players. Otoo broke from the pack to run towards unoccupied space at the near post around six yards out.

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A frustrating afternoon at the LNER saw York fail to win at home in the league for the first time in nine months, as a resolute Northampton side held them to a draw. The game proved a different kind of test to recent home wins over Swindon and Gillingham, with the visitors content to sit on their lead and defend in numbers, a strategy which almost brought the Cobblers a first away win since last November. City's persistence eventually paid off, though, when Ollie Pearce forced a late equaliser having seen two earlier efforts ruled out for offside.

It was the Minstermen's first fixture in two weeks after the trip to Barnet was postponed, and a level of rustiness was evident early on. Northampton themselves had gone three weeks without a league game, but much of the first team had been involved in a midweek EFL Trophy game at Cambridge, and their greater match sharpness may have been a factor in their taking an early lead here just ten minutes in.

There was an element of controversy in the lead-up to the goal, as Joe Wormleighton received a quickly taken free kick on the right flank and appeared to hit his cross behind for a goal kick, but the officials awarded a corner for an apparent touch off Harry Boyes. The Cobblers’ attempted set piece routine went awry, but the loose ball was headed across goal by Lee Evans and found its way to the unmarked Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh in the area, who rifled a shot off the ground and beyond Alfie McNally in the City goal.

It was only Northampton's fourth league goal of the season, so their subsequent retreat into a relatively low block to protect the lead rather than push for further goals was perhaps unsurprising. This put York in the slightly unfamiliar position of having to force their way back into a home game, having themselves benefited from early goals in the previous three league games at the LNER.

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City were in full control of possession after the opening goal, but struggled to find a way past the visitors' back line. They did have the ball in the back of the net after 18 minutes following a neat passing move, when Alex Hunt slipped Ollie Pearce through on goal to slot home, but the offside call looked to be correct. When another goal was disallowed a few minutes later, it was more contentious. Pearce was again found by Hunt, this time from a quick free kick, and sent a first-time finish beyond Northampton keeper Zach Jeacock. The assistant raised his flag again, and the shocked reaction of Pearce suggested he felt he had been level with the last defender when the ball was played.

Northampton's forays forward were rare, but they did twice threaten to add to their tally thanks to the aerial threat of centre-back Elliott Moore. First, Moore got in front of Ollie Banks at a corner but headed over. Then, from another corner, he again found space in front of goal and met the delivery with a header that floated beyond McNally but struck the crossbar.

The half-time statistics made tough reading for York: despite having had 80% possession, they had failed to register a single shot, in contrast to the visitors who had managed 8 attempts from their meagre share of the ball. This was somewhat misleading given that it didn't include the two disallowed efforts, but still pointed towards a half that had seen City fail to turn possession into chances as effectively as they had done in previous home games.

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It was the Cobblers who had the first effort of note in the second half, when a cross floated in from the right reached Connor Lemonheigh-Evans in front of goal, but his header was straight at McNally. York fashioned a chance for Alex Newby soon after when Joe Grey's pass found him in the area, but Newby's flicked attempt was too delicate and drifted wide. Northampton had another shot on target through the lively Owen Dale when he lifted the ball over Alex Hunt then hit a volley towards goal from a tight angle, but McNally was equal to it.

Just before the hour mark, Scott Lindsey introduced Jovan Malcolm and Jeff King from the bench in place of Joe Grey and Joe Felix. Not long after, Ollie Banks went close from range when the ball broke to him after Jeacock had dropped it following a corner, but the Northampton stopper regained his composure in time to palm Banks’ curling effort over the bar.

As the second half ticked on and the visitors continued to keep City's attack at bay, it looked as though they might hold on for an unlikely win, and this feeling was compounded when York spurned a golden chance ten minutes from time. Malcolm flicked a Banks header into the path of Pearce, and as he advanced towards goal it seemed inevitable that he would at least test Jeacock. Instead, Pearce opted to cut the ball across goal into the path of Newby, but Newby failed to make proper contact and sent a tame effort bobbling well wide.

Pearce would be in the right place again five minutes later, though, and this time he would get the goal his efforts had deserved. King cut back inside from the right flank and curled a cross towards goal with his weaker left foot, and Pearce timed his run perfectly to meet the cross and glance a header into the expectant net. There was no question of the strike being ruled out for offside on this occasion, and the score was 1-1.

City continued to pour forward in search of a winning goal to preserve their 100% home record, but the best chance fell to substitute Frankie Maguire who saw his goalbound shot blocked by Moore, and the referee blew for full-time shortly after. The Minstermen had been more incisive in the second period, but it was hard to begrudge Northampton a point after their solid rearguard action, particularly given that they could even have been more than a goal up at half-time had Moore's headed effort been a few inches lower.

Lindsey will have to hope that the drop in York's performance level can be explained by a lack of sharpness after the two-week break, rather than the Cobblers finding a template of how to stop his side at the LNER. With home games against strugglers Accrington and Port Vale coming soon after next weekend's trip to Newport, we shouldn't have to wait too long to find out.

We’ve met before…

This season is the 25th campaign in which York and Northampton have shared a league, and the Cobblers have the better of the overall head-to-head record, with 22 wins compared to just 13 for City. Northampton have also come out on top in the last three meetings between the clubs.

The most recent clashes came in 2015/16, when Northampton completed a quickfire double over the Minstermen in February with a 2-0 win at Sixfields followed by a 2-1 victory at Bootham Crescent two weeks later. The Cobblers ended that season as League Two champions, while City finished bottom. York fans will have happier memories of a meeting in April 2013, though, when Nigel Worthington’s relegation-threatened side visited Sixfields and won 2-0 to put an end to a 10-match winning run for Northampton, thanks to an Ashley Chambers strike and an own goal.

The most unusual meeting between the sides probably came in the League Cup 2nd round in the 1970/71 season. After a goalless draw at Bootham Crescent, followed by a 1-1 draw at Northampton’s former County Ground home in the replay, the tie went to a second replay which was played at Villa Park. In front of a crowd of 2,561 (history does not recall how many of these were Birmingham residents with nothing better to do on a Monday evening), it was the Cobblers who progressed with a 2-1 win.

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What to expect from Northampton

Last week brought exciting news for Northampton fans, as the takeover by Sports Alpha Capital was finalised. The consortium includes the unlikely figure of Alexandre Pato, formerly of AC Milan and capped 27 times for Brazil. They had previously considered investing in Colchester United before settling on Northampton, and have cleared the £13.5 million of debt that the club had accrued.

Greater investment may be needed, judging by the Cobblers’ recent fortunes. They finished rock bottom of League One last season due to an appalling second half of the season that saw them win just once after Christmas and finish the season on an 11-game losing streak. A new management team was brought in over summer, with Chris Hogg appointed as manager and Chris Doig joining as his assistant: both have connections to the Minstermen from their playing career, with Hogg having come through the York youth system and Doig having been part of Gary Mills’ playoff winning side in 2012.

Hogg has had a tough start to his first managerial gig, with the Cobblers sitting near the bottom of the League Two table having won just one of their first seven games. They have been solid defensively, with just six goals conceded, but an impotent attack has seen them score a mere three goals so far, so a low-scoring affair may be likely. This lack of attacking threat seems to be down to low chance creation rather than misfiring strikers: Northampton rank bottom in League Two for big chances, touches in the opposition box and expected goals.

Hogg has tended to set his side up in a 4-4-2 system so far this season, but has been willing to adapt this, lining up in more of a 3-4-3 setup for their last league game against Rotherham. That game came three weeks ago, so the Cobblers have had a long break with no league action which Hogg described as a “mini pre-season” that has allowed some players returning from injury to get back up to speed in training.

Northampton’s goalkeeper will be Zach Jeacock, who has been an ever-present in the league having joined on loan from Lincoln in the summer. Their centre-back pairing looks settled, with the tall figure of Elliott Moore expected to line up alongside club captain Jon Guthrie. If they play with a back three again, this may involve bringing Max Dyche in alongside them.

The Cobblers have options at right-back now that summer signing Janoi Donacien has recovered from injury. Donacien played the first half of Tuesday’s EFL Trophy game at Cambridge, and may slot straight in for this game, allowing Joe Wormleighton to be pushed further forward. Another right-back, Jack Burroughs, remains out having been sidelined with injury since pre-season. On the left side of defence, James Maxwell missed the last league game with a thigh issue but may be available again. If Maxwell misses out again then one of two young loanees may deputise: either Josh Powell from Nottingham Forest or Logan Briggs from Leicester.

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In midfield, Liam Shaw and Jack Perkins remain sidelined but manager Hogg can call on the services of Lee Evans again, now that the Welshman has served his three-match ban following a straight red card in their clash with Crawley. Evans will compete for his place in the middle with Sierra Leone international Tyrese Fornah and Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh, who arrived in the summer from Southampton.

On the right wing, either Joe Wormleighton or club stalwart Sam Hoskins is likely to start, with Connor Lemonheigh-Evans offering a further option. The left wing spot could go to Owen Dale or Leeds loanee Sam Chambers, although Elliott List is another contender out wide having recovered from a recent knock.

None of the Cobblers’ centre-forward options have located their scoring boots yet, but Nathaniel Opoku has at least scored one league goal and will expect to retain his starting place. If they start with two up front, Opoku’s strike partner could be either Matty Warhurst, after the 20-year-old opened his account for Northampton in midweek, or Harvey Saunders, who joined in the summer having left Tranmere.

York team news

City have no fresh injury worries ahead of the game, and with two weeks since the last fixture the squad should be well rested. It would be a surprise, therefore, if Scott Lindsey were to make any changes to the side that beat Gillingham 3-0, meaning that Joe Felix should keep his place at right wing-back with Jeff King the backup option from the bench.

Long-term absentees Josh Stones and Hiram Boateng have been pictured in training and are nearing a return to action, but it’s likely to be late October before either of them features in a matchday squad. There’s a similar prognosis for Morgan Williams, while Craig Hewitt and Zech Medley are both out with hamstring issues, but Hewitt’s injury is the more serious of the two and is likely to keep him out well into November.

With York set to return to league action after a fortnight’s break, it seems an appropriate time to take a look at some of the storylines that are playing out in League Two so far. The league table is still somewhat amorphous and difficult to draw conclusions from, with no clear division yet between contenders and strugglers: 19th-placed Colchester are just two wins off league leaders Salford, while Crewe find themselves in the automatic promotion spots having won only three of their nine games. But let’s take a look at a few themes that are beginning to emerge.

Bottom half: relegation hangovers, exciting takeovers and a sack race

Down, down, deeper and down

Looking first at the bottom half of the table, one thing that’s immediately clear is that the four sides relegated from League One last season have had a tough start to life in the bottom tier. Three of these sides (Exeter, Northampton and Port Vale) are in the bottom five, and while Rotherham are a little higher in 17th, they’ve still had a fairly underwhelming start.

What’s gone wrong for these sides? The first thing to note is that relegated teams struggling in League Two shouldn’t actually come as a surprise, as it’s generally been the norm over the past few seasons. Looking at the previous four campaigns, over 80% of teams coming down from League One have gone on to finish in the bottom half of League Two the following season. Two of these actually ended up in the bottom two, leading to a second successive relegation into the National League (Forest Green Rovers in 2023/24 and Carlisle in 2024/25), and others have only narrowly avoided this fate, such as Crawley last season.

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Picture the scene. It’s a Saturday in late October, the nights are starting to come in, and Bootham Crescent is not yet floodlit as the game enters its final stages. City are 3-1 down, and some people are starting to drift out of the left side of the Longhurst stand to either watch the last few minutes by the First Aid hut, or to leave the ground altogether.

It’s quite cold, and you can see your breath vapour in the air as you scream at Martin Reed for impersonating a professional footballer. All the while, there’s a familiar, and not unpleasant smell of cooked potatoes from the British Sugar facility drifting across the ground. It was usually either that or the smell of cocoa, and neither were unwelcome.

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On this day, York have probably bottled their playoff charge with this terrible game. It’s only early in the campaign, we’d been doing quite well, and found ourselves flirting with the playoff places just a few games into the 97/98 season. Rodney Rowe was doing great, scoring 6 from the opening 11 games, and we looked like we’d actually be a strong contender in the 2nd Division, having already played away at the highly fancied Watford, Grimsby and Bristol City, the eventual promotion winners.

It was a home game against Carlisle, who had recently been promoted from the 3rd Division. They were on a terrible run, having lost their last 5 games before coming to Bootham Crescent, and they must have felt that coming to a team that was on the up and around the playoff spots was really not what they needed.

However, this game had gone badly wrong for City. A great start had seen Rowe add to his haul after just 14 minutes. He’d received a long kick from Samways and controlled it, laying off to Graeme Murty. Gary Bull played a lovely 1-2 with Murty, and the cutback found Rowe in a crowd of opposition players. Despite the heavy presence of the Carlisle defenders, Rowe flicked the ball into Tony Caig’s net, and York were 15 minutes in, a goal up, and following the script. This is where the enjoyable part of the game so far had ended.

Carlisle hadn’t sat back, and attacked York in search of an equaliser. Matt Jansen would eventually play much higher up the leagues with Palace, Blackburn and Bolton, but today he was charging at the York defence. First he skips a challenge from Reed, but he doesn’t avoid being scythed down by Steve Bushell (that would 100% be a red card today). The resulting free kick is quickly taken and lifted across the box for Carlisle’s Stephane Pounewatchy to head in unmarked. Imagine conceding from a set piece. It doesn’t bear thinking about.

Carlisle were level on 25 minutes, and continued their assault on York like King Sweyn, the Danish Vikings, and their Anglo-Saxon mates. However, instead of burning the York garrison, Carlisle scored a 2^nd goal to take the lead on 35 minutes. Reed can’t stop a cross into York’s box and it’s hooked away by Andy McMillan, but nobody else responds from the defenders, and Billy Barr is able to judge the flight of the ball as it drops. Before McMillan can get to it, Barr unleashes an incredible volley into the top right corner. Wayne Hall shouts something at Martin Reed, but Reed’s missed that as well.

At half time, we wonder how we’re 2-1 down to a team that’s having an awful season, and had lost 8 from 13 so far. We also wonder how “Barbie Girl” by Aqua has ended up as the UK no.1 as it plays over the tinny and static-plagued PA system.

It looked like York would get an opportunity to recover, as Carlisle’s Andy Couzens was sent off for his second yellow. It seemed like York had some hope of pulling it back, and they’d had some help with that red card. Much like William The Conqueror coming to drive off King Sweyn, what originally looked like help, actually just made things a lot worse. William destroyed York’s suburbs and laid waste to crops in the area, and Carlisle scored a 3rd. Those two incidents caused an equal amount of anguish, I’m sure. Archdeacon’s cross is met by Jansen, who outjumps Tony Barras to head back across goal. McMillan doesn’t track McAlindon and he darts forward and scores at the back post, sliding in to volley home ahead of Samways’ despairing dive. 3-1 down to ten men, and York City just can’t have nice things.

So, we get to 80 minutes and it’s not looking good. Neil Tolson and a very floppy haired Jonathan Greening are on in place of Bull and Reed, and York actually turn the tide a little, making forays forward, particularly down the wings. City are given a free-kick some 30 yards from goal. It’s so far away that Tony Caig doesn’t want a wall. All the players are on the edge of the area, waiting for the cross from Stephenson, but it never comes. Instead, Stephenson drops the ball into the 6yd box, where it bounces right in front of Caig. The kind of bounce that keepers absolutely hate, as he dives, only to see it then fly over the top of him and into the net. It’s probably a consolation, but Neil Tolson grabs the ball and sprints back to the centre spot anyway. It’s 2-3 with 8 minutes left, and York would need something very special to get something out of this.

Luckily, special is what we get. McMillan and Bushell work the ball out to Stephenson who would normally cross from 25yds out and wide left, but this time, on the corner of the penalty area, he unleashes a blockbuster into Caig’s near post. I suspect that again, everyone was waiting for the cross, which is why Caig failed to cover the near post, but Stephenson’s effort is a thunderbolt. Again, it bounces in front of Caig, and he must be cursing his choice to be a keeper when goals like that are scored. I remember the TV replay on ‘Goals on Sunday’ and realising that the camera hadn’t been able to track the ball as ‘Stevo’ smashed it into the net.

So, as it happens, we did get something out of this. We all breathe a sigh of relief that we haven’t capitulated against ten men, and been beaten whilst up in the higher reaches of the table. The relief from the players is summed up by Tolson standing on the advertising board and giving double fists in the air to the jubilant Longhurst stand. One Pop Stand fan is so excited, they fall over the fence and onto the pitch. It’s pandemonium. Two goals in three minutes have resulted in a 1-3 deficit becoming a 3-3 draw and a point out of a game that a few moments ago, we were getting nothing from. Let’s take a point from a rough game and move on to Wigan away next week, right?

But what’s this? Some lovely passing work on the edge of the Carlisle box looks promising. Hall, Greening, Bushell, Murty, back to Bushell who takes a touch, and when he realises that the defender has been slow to close him down, he hits a left footed shot from 25 yards that buries itself into the bottom right hand corner. You’ll never guess what happens to the flight of the ball. Perhaps it’s something the lads worked on in training, but for the third time in five minutes, City have scored by shooting from distance, and the ball bouncing right in front of Caig in the six yard box. The Carlisle keeper gets up and screams at his defence, but I’m not sure they can be blamed for the impact of gravity on a leather sphere. The City faithful are in raptures. All those people in the corner by the First Aid hut are grateful they didn’t leave. All those that left are feeling very silly. The chant of ‘dodgy keeper’ rings around the ground as the young Jansen looks at this teammates and thinks “stuff this lot, I’ll go and play with Attilio Lombardo instead”.

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The game ends, and we can scarcely believe we’ve got a win from that. Three goals in five minutes showed that this City side had the mettle to come back from 3-1 down. To continue to fight, and to push for a win, when a draw would have been an acceptable result. Alan Little gives Stephenson a great big hug, and in the post-match interviews, Carlisle chairman/manager Michael Knighton says that his team need to keep their heads down and get up the table. It seems those aliens really did a number on Michael’s grasp of reality, as Carlisle are relegated at the end of the season, returning to Division Three after just a single season in City’s division. York, on the other hand, had a very strong first half of the season, sitting in third place at one stage, but a poor second part of the campaign saw us struggle and we finished 16th after obtaining just five wins after Christmas. Even the return of Marco Gabbiadini couldn’t save our failing season, and we limped over the finish line with a 2-1 win at Carlisle in the penultimate game.

This match is often remembered for the five minute turnaround that won us the game, but there’s much more to it than that. We were a strong team at this time. We were in the playoffs of what is now League One, and we didn’t look out of place. I remember the smells, sounds (before I would lose my hearing), and the familiarity of the same part of railing that my Dad and I would lean on in the Longhurst Stand. We would obviously win games coming from behind after this match, but the manner of the win, the manner of the goals, and the never-say-die attitude of that team sticks with me more than the simple stats. For those of us who have been around a long time, these kind of wins were rare. It’s only in recent times that we’ve seen a York City that attacks teams until the final whistle. Back in ‘97, this was not the norm, and so to win this game, and in this way, made it a memorable victory.

“Our home form will be vital”.

“We have to turn our home ground into a fortress.”

“The fans can be the twelfth man at our place”.

We all know the clichés about the importance of doing well in home games. But the difference between York’s results at home and away in their eight League Two fixtures this season is particularly stark: a 100% winning record of four wins from four at the LNER stands in contrast to an away record of no wins, two draws and two defeats. Just how unusual is this phenomenon of performing much better on home turf, what might the reasons for it be, and is it just an early season quirk or something likely to continue?

The first thing to note is that this trend isn’t unique to City: across League Two so far in the 2026/27 season, 71% of all points won have gone to the home side, with only 13 away wins from a total of 94 games played in the league. This figure is unusually high, as the last few League Two seasons have seen a consistent figure of around 60% of points going to home teams. It’s also not replicated in other leagues this season, with the Championship seeing home sides claim 57% of the points so far, and an even lower figure of 51% in League One.

Even against that background of home teams dominating in League Two, though, York’s record stands out: 86% of the points they have accrued so far this season have been won at home. Looking at the equivalent figure from recent seasons shows that, while City have generally won slightly more points at home than away, this has been in the region of 50-60%.

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City's home comforts continued with another excellent performance at the LNER, as a 3-0 victory over Gillingham took them to four wins from four home league games this season. Gareth Ainsworth’s side arrived in fine form but couldn't live with York's dynamic attacking play, and had the woodwork and some wasteful finishing by the home side to thank for only finding themselves a goal behind at the break. Any hopes Gills harboured of a comeback were dashed when their substitute Zane Albarus was sent off in the second half, and fully extinguished when two quickfire York goals followed soon after.

The tone was set early on, with City taking the lead less than two minutes in. Joe Felix, reintroduced to the line-up to replace Jeff King in the only change from last weekend’s defeat at Chesterfield, received a long ball upfield from Alfie McNally on the right flank. Felix cut the ball back to Ollie Pearce, who sent a looping cross that found Joe Grey on the edge of the six yard box. Grey's effort seemed initially to be mishit, striking the ground and looping upwards, to the extent that some home fans groaned at a missed opportunity. Somehow, though, the trajectory of the ball saw it bounce again just inside the post to put York 1-0 up.

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The goal seemed to jolt Gillingham into life, and they enjoyed a subsequent spell of pressure, causing occasional anxiety for the City defence with their high press. The selection of Felix was paying dividends for York, however: Lindsey said after the match that he had picked Felix partly to nullify the attacking threat of James Brophy, and when Felix beat Brophy to the ball after a Gillingham corner, it led to another chance for Grey on the counter. Grey's touch into the area was a little too heavy, though, and Gills keeper Ollie Wright was able to come out and smother the ball. The visitors then lost centre-forward Will Goodwin to injury, replacing him with midfielder Zane Albarus and pushing Ronan Hale up front. The removal of Goodwin perhaps made City's life easier as it removed any real physical presence from the Gillingham attack.

While the visiting side were having their fair share of possession, all the chances that came in the first half fell to York. Ollie Banks played a perfectly timed chipped pass that set Pearce through on goal, but goalkeeper Wright reacted well to block Pearce’s close range strike. Soon after, Alex Newby twice went agonisingly close to adding to his six goals this season. His first attempt came when he cut inside from the left flank, leaving Eli King on the deck, before hitting a powerful strike that rattled the far post. King seemed to pick up an injury in the process, leading to Gills’ second enforced change as Garath McCleary came on in his place. Newby then had another golden opportunity to increase City’s lead when Alex Hunt’s cross found him on the edge of the six yard box, but his delicate side-footed effort crept past the post.

City were finding different ways to open up the visitors’ defence, not just via intricate passing moves but also by going direct when needed. A long ball from Mark Kitching found Hunt in the Gillingham half with no opposition players remotely close to him, but while Hunt did well to bring the ball down and carry it into the area, his left-footed effort curled onto the far post and Pearce’s follow-up was blocked by Albarus. Although York went in at half-time a goal to the good, the lead could easily have been greater, and the sense that they might come to rue missed chances was hard to shake.

Whatever Ainsworth’s instructions for the first half had been, the Gillingham game plan hadn’t worked, so a change of approach seemed likely after the break. The key difference seemed to be a greater intensity to their play, which manifested itself in a number of flying challenges, several of which were penalised by referee Scott Oldham. They did go close when McCleary ran into the box and found space between Hunt and Fallowfield to get a shot away, but the ex-Jamaica international’s effort was poked wide of the far post.

Lindsey shook things up with a slightly earlier substitution than usual, introducing Jovan Malcolm in place of Alex Newby with less than an hour played. Malcolm took the centre-forward spot, with Pearce dropping back into Newby’s role, and offered a target for City when they opted to go long. There was a sight of goal for Malcolm soon after he entered the fray, when Hunt touched a Fallowfield long ball into his path, but his low strike from the edge of the area was saved by Wright.

Ainsworth looked to impact the game from the bench himself with a triple substitution soon after, but the trio had not been on the pitch long when Gillingham’s overly physical approach caught up with them and Albarus saw red. His second yellow was given for a clumsy challenge on Pearce: it looked a little soft, but Albarus was perhaps the fall guy after referee Oldham lost patience with the visitors’ persistent fouling.

York’s second goal arrived five minutes after the dismissal, and was the result of some fine centre-forward play by Malcolm. Collecting the ball from Boyes’ pass with his back to goal, the loanee used his strength to shrug off the attention of Jack Daley before sending a powerful effort past Wright from just outside the area. It was Malcolm’s third goal since joining from Stevenage, and the first not scored with his head.

The win was put beyond all doubt four minutes later when City added a third. A Hunt corner was blocked by Harry Waldock, then poked further clear by Brophy, but it fell to Boyes. After bringing it down with his chest, Boyes hit a half volley that sailed through the box and into the bottom right corner, in what looked to be a similar strike to his first goal for the club against Bristol Rovers last month. Upon closer inspection, though, Pearce had added a vital touch, and will no doubt be glad to claim the goal as his third of the campaign.

There was still time for Gillingham to threaten a consolation goal when Brophy capitalised on a mix-up between York substitutes Frankie Maguire and Jeff King, intercepting the ball then bringing it forward and hitting an effort that curled past McNally and struck the angle of post and bar. But City held on to the clean sheet, and claimed a second successive comfortable home win against an in-form side, having swept aside Swindon with similar ease two weeks earlier.

The result leaves York’s record from the first eight games looking curiously uneven, as a 100% winning record at the LNER stands in contrast to four winless games on their travels. City have two weeks before their next game, a home fixture against struggling Northampton: while preparing for that game will of course take precedence, there may also be some logic in using the break to work out why such dominant home displays have been hard to replicate on the road. The issue isn’t unique to City, but instead seems prevalent across League Two this season, with half of the teams in the league still without an away win. For now, though, York can take pride in having worked out half of the equation for success: how to make their home ground a fortress.

We’ve met before…

York and Gillingham have been semi-regular leaguemates over the years, with 38 meetings across their history. The head-to-head record is fairly even, with Gillingham having 12 wins to York's 11, and 15 of the games having been drawn. The clubs have only met twice in the 21st century, however, when both found themselves in League Two for the 2012/13 season. Both of those meetings ended in draws, with a 1-1 draw at Priestfield in January followed by a goalless draw at Bootham Crescent just two weeks later.

Some of the historic encounters between the sides have been more memorable. In 1984/85, York romped to a 7-1 win over the Gills at Bootham Crescent, with Keith Houchen hitting a hat-trick, although Gillingham would end up higher in the Third Division table come the season's end. Another big win over the Kent side came towards the end of the 1992/93 season, when a Paul Barnes brace helped Alan Little's promotion-chasing York side to a 4-1 win.

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What to expect from Gillingham

Gillingham are heading into Saturday’s game full of confidence, as they sit top of the League Two form table over the last five matches. Their season started badly with a 3-0 opening-day defeat at home against Walsall, but this was followed by three draws and then three wins, with the most recent an impressive 3-0 victory over Bristol Rovers. They are also still yet to lose an away game in the league in 2026/27. This strong start reflects manager Gareth Ainsworth’s aim to push towards the top end of the league this season after a disappointing lower mid-table finish in the 2025/26 campaign.

Ainsworth has been setting his side up in a similar 3-4-2-1 shape to York this season, but in playing style the Gills take a different approach. Ainsworth’s sides are not known for being particularly focused on keeping possession, and this is supported by the data that puts them 17th in the league for both average possession (45.9%) and accurate passes per game. He does place a strong emphasis on intensity and aggression off the ball, which perhaps explains why they rank top of the league for interceptions per game and second for tackles per game. Key to their strong early season form has been how quickly their new signings such as James Brophy and Nick Freeman have adapted to their roles in the team.

Ollie Wright will start in goal, having impressed since joining on loan from Southampton. In front of him, the back three is settled: well-travelled summer signing Omar Beckles offers experience, and lining up alongside him should be Andy Smith and Logan Dobbs. The 20-year-old Dobbs has been described by Ainsworth as a “surprise package” this season, having done well since coming into the defence due to injuries to captain Liam Gordon and Sam Tabares.

At right wing-back, Nick Freeman has made a bright start to his Gillingham career after joining from Shrewsbury in the summer, with three assists to his name already this season. The left wing-back role has generally been taken by Conor McManus, but he is away on international duty with Republic of Ireland U21. The versatile James Brophy should slot in there instead, having spent most of the season in a more attacking role. Brophy has also thrived since joining from Cambridge, scoring three goals so far in 2026/27 including a superb solo effort at Rochdale.

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In the two deeper-lying midfield positions, injuries to the likes of Zech Obiero and Armani Little earlier in the season led Ainsworth to bring in Eli King from Cardiff on deadline day. King will probably line up alongside Robbie McKenzie, who is now in his seventh season with the club. Ethan Coleman offers another option, having returned from injury and got some game time in the EFL Trophy in midweek, but may have to settle for a place on the bench.

One of the two attacking midfield roles behind the striker may go to 19-year-old Harry Waldock, who has recently broken into the first team after spending time on loan at Whitehawk and Cray Valley Wanderers last season. The other spot could be taken by Gambian U20 international Lamin Sillah, who is on loan at Priestfield from Nottingham Forest. Another young loanee, Sheldon Kendall from Millwall, is one to watch as an impact sub having come off the bench to score twice against Bristol Rovers last weekend. Other options include the 39-year-old Garath McCleary and the talented Bradley Dack who has recently returned from a spell out with injury, but both are most likely to be named among the substitutes.

Ronan Hale is expected to retain his place at centre-forward, having started every league game this season and notched two goals so far. A more physically imposing option up front is Will Goodwin, who joined from Oxford United in the summer, but his minutes have been managed carefully after a recent ankle problem.

York team news

Scott Lindsey has generally stuck with a similar line-up in the league so far this season, but teased the prospect of changes to the starting eleven after expressing disappointment at City’s second half showing in the 2-0 defeat at Chesterfield. Having made his first start for the club in the EFL Trophy against Rotherham in midweek, Frankie Maguire could be pushing to claim one of the attacking midfield slots, with Joe Grey perhaps most likely to be rested. Other players who performed solidly in midweek and may be in contention to start include Arthur Read, Joe Felix and Jovan Malcolm.

In terms of City’s injury list, Zech Medley is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring tear during the Rotherham game, but Jack Hunt is expected to shake off the knock he picked up. Lindsey has confirmed that Hiram Boateng and Morgan Williams are currently on course for a mid-October return, while Josh Stones has returned to light training and is targeting a comeback in a month or so.

The problem is that John Ebbrell isn’t David Beckham.

You might think that the 30th anniversary of a lower league club defeating one of the biggest clubs in England over two legs would be significant enough to be marked in some way. Particularly when said lower-league club have only beaten top flight sides seven times in their history, with more than half of those wins coming before the Suez crisis of 1956. Even more so when you consider that this particular win back in 1996 is their most recent victory over a top flight opponent. Yet the fact that York completed a 4-3 aggregate win over Everton in the League Cup thirty years ago today may well pass unnoticed by City fans (or at least by those who don’t subscribe to this website).

The reason is simple: the win came a year after City’s incredible 3-0 triumph over Alex Ferguson’s otherwise all-conquering Manchester United side at Old Trafford. Knocking out Everton at the same round of the same competition a year later was always destined to become that difficult second giantkilling. Fergie’s United were a behemoth in the mid-90s, not just on the pitch where they won two league-and-cup doubles, but off it too where the likes of Giggs, Cantona and later Beckham transcended the sport to become cultural icons. To beat them was notable, but for lowly York to do it so comprehensively at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ sent shockwaves through the footballing world. Everton weren’t nothing - they’d won the FA Cup themselves in 1995 and finished 6th the following season - but they weren’t United.

The Everton win deserves its own moment in the sun, though, and to be celebrated on its own merits. York had defeated Doncaster Rovers in the 1st round to set up the tie, with newly recruited striker Neil Tolson on the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Belle Vue, then goals from Nigel Pepper and Steve Bushell securing a 2-0 win for City in the return leg. In truth, though, Alan Little’s side weren’t coming into the Everton game in great form. Having scraped survival in the third tier the previous season, a mixed start to 1996/97 in which the Minstermen won just two of their opening seven league games left them firmly in mid-table. Luckily for York, Joe Royle’s Everton were also struggling, with three defeats on the bounce including a 4-0 reverse at Wimbledon leaving them 16th in the mid-September table.

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1st leg highlights (Everton 1-1 York)

2nd leg highlights (York 3-2 Everton)

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Jovan Malcolm’s missed penalty saw City miss out on the chance to claim a bonus point in the EFL Trophy group stage after a 1-1 draw with Rotherham. For the third game in succession, a decent first-half showing from City was followed by a less impressive second-half display, as Zech Medley’s headed opener was cancelled out by a Jili Buyabu strike. While the overall performance was an improvement on last week’s loss to Newcastle U21, there will be some concerns about the impact of the game on the Minstermen’s defensive depth after Medley and Jack Hunt were forced off with injuries.

Head coach Scott Lindsey made just one change to the York side that lined up against Newcastle U21 the week before, with Frankie Maguire making his first start for the club in place of Ollie Pearce. Rotherham boss Alex Bruce named a strong side, as well as a bench including several first-team regulars. Maguire looked to have a chance to open the scoring early on when Joe Felix’s cutback from the right found him inside the area, but Rotherham’s Kian Spence slid in to avert the danger.

City made the early running, with Felix combining effectively with Jovan Malcolm on the right to cause problems for the Rotherham defence, but they could not turn territorial dominance into efforts that troubled Millers goalkeeper Ted Cann. Dipo Akinyemi’s strike from the edge of the area flew well over, as did a header by Malcolm when he connected with Arthur Read’s corner. Read then fashioned a chance for himself after outmuscling Spence, but his left-footed shot deflected wide. Rotherham’s only real chance of the half came when Marvin Kaleta emerged with the ball after a tussle with Medley then advanced towards goal, but he dragged his shot well wide.

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The game took on a stop-start rhythm as the first half wore on, with injuries forcing off Ewan Otoo for Rotherham and then City’s Jack Hunt. The relative strengths of the two benches were reflected in the players who came on in their stead: while Rotherham introduced Denzel Hall, signed a year ago from Heerenveen having made 29 appearances in the Dutch top flight, Lindsey threw on 18-year-old forward Ben Farrar to play in an unfamiliar left wing-back role. Farrar applied himself well to the task, though, making use of his pace at times to neutralise the visitors’ attacks down the right.

With the half threatening to peter out after those stoppages, Maguire showed neat footwork before sending a chipped attempt towards goal that Cann palmed over the bar, and it was from the resulting corner that York broke the deadlock. Read, showcasing again his accurate dead ball delivery, sent in an inswinging cross from the right, and the unmarked Medley rose to nod home into the far corner. There was still time for a further forced substitution before the break when the Millers’ Fábio Tavares went down injured and was replaced by Aaron Nemane, but City took a deserved 1-0 lead into the interval.

As in last Tuesday’s defeat to Newcastle U21, York couldn’t maintain their first-half superiority after the break, and on 57 minutes Rotherham were level. A headed clearance by Ash Palmer was pounced on by Millers midfielder Josh Austerfield - introduced as a half-time substitute - and he played the ball forward to Kaleta whose one-touch pass set Buyabu through on goal. The loanee from Sheffield United made no mistake, sending a low finish past a static George Sykes-Kenworthy and into the far corner of the net.

The momentum had shifted towards the visitors, and this was compounded when further substitutions changed the make-up of the two teams: Rotherham introduced first-team regulars Paul Mullin and Ossama Ashley, while City blooded academy players Ollie Belleh and Luka Ozisik. Bruce’s side twice came close to finding a winner late on, first when Jayce Fitzgerald’s well-struck free kick from range hit the side netting, then when Buyabu fired over after being sent through on goal by Mullin’s lofted pass. In stoppage time, there was a fresh injury concern for York when Medley was forced off with a hamstring issue.

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The match ended level after 90 minutes, meaning that for just the second time since moving to the LNER Community Stadium, City would take part in a penalty shootout on home turf. The first six spot-kicks were all converted. For York, Read sent Cann the wrong way, Akinyemi hit his penalty straight down the middle, then young Ethan Stiver calmly found the bottom left corner, while Sykes-Kenworthy got close to Mullin’s strike but was sent the wrong way by Fitzgerald and Rafferty.

Someone had to miss eventually, and the culprit this time was Malcolm, whose stuttered run-up was followed by a curled attempt that struck the right-hand post. Hall converted for Rotherham, then Farrar did the same for York, but Buyabu sealed a 5-4 win in the shootout and a bonus point for the visitors by beating Sykes-Kenworthy for a second time, sending a confident finish into the top right corner.

The match is unlikely to live long in the memory of the 1,955 fans in attendance, other than for witnessing the novelty of a penalty shoot-out taking place after a group stage fixture. There were some positive signs to take from York’s performance, particularly in the first half, with Read’s solid display perhaps giving Lindsey food for thought about his midfield selection for Saturday’s game with Gillingham, and the likes of Felix, Malcolm and Maguire showing plenty of industry if not quite finding an end product to match. Plus, the value of more minutes against senior opposition for young prospects like Stiver and Farrar cannot be understated. City will just have to hope that the injuries sustained by Hunt and Medley can be shaken off as quickly as fans forget this game.

We’ve met before…

York and Rotherham have, of course, already met this season. The sides were evenly matched in a 1-1 draw at the New York Stadium in August, with Alex Newby equalising for the Minstermen after Ewan Otoo had put the home side in front. This will be the Millers’ first visit to the LNER Community Stadium.

The two clubs have a relatively rich history of meeting in the EFL Trophy, as this will be their sixth clash in the competition. The first of the previous five meetings came when it was the Freight Rover Trophy back in 1985/86, and ended with a goalless draw at Bootham Crescent. Rotherham were victorious in clashes at Millmoor in the group stage of the 1989/90 Leyland DAF Cup, and again in the quarter-finals of the 1995/96 Auto Windscreens Shield. The last two encounters came when the trophy was sponsored by Johnstone's Paint, and ended in a 1-0 win for York at Rotherham's current stadium in 2012/13, followed by a 3-0 victory for the Millers at Bootham Crescent the next season.

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What to expect from Rotherham

This will be Rotherham’s first game in this season’s EFL Trophy, so it’s difficult to know how seriously manager Alex Bruce will be taking the competition. The Millers’ recent form has been reasonable, with a 1-0 away win at Northampton on Saturday following a 3-3 draw at home against Bruce’s former employers Salford City. We can probably expect a large number of changes, with key players rested and minutes given to others who have been warming the bench in league games or have recently returned from injury.

One player who lined up against York in last month’s league game and may start on Tuesday evening is goalkeeper Ted Cann, who has lost his first-team place to loanee Julian Eyestone for league games so could be handed minutes here. The experienced Joe Rafferty is likely to play in defence if he is passed fit after picking up a knock in training last week, and he could be joined in the back three by fringe players Emmanuel Adegboyega and Kieran Ngwenya.

In midfield, 19-year-old Jayce Fitzgerald is expected to be involved having joined the Millers on loan from Manchester United and mostly featured from the bench since then. Both Kian Spence and Jamie Jellis have recently returned to training after spells out with injury, so this game may be a chance to ease them back to match fitness. Jili Buyabu has been relegated to the bench for recent league fixtures so may be handed a start on the left wing in this game, while Marvin Kaleta could line up on the right flank having overcome the hamstring problem that has kept him out of action so far this season.

With top scorer Paul Mullin likely to be rested, there should be an opportunity for the experienced Tom Bradshaw to start up front. This game would have been an ideal opportunity for young forward George Sebine to be handed his first start of the season, but he is set to miss out with a calf injury, so Fábio Tavares may be retained in attack.

York team news

With few changes to player availability and a continued need to manage the minutes of first-team regulars, we can expect Scott Lindsey to select a very similar side for this game to the one that lined up against Newcastle U21 last week. One player who could come into the side is Frankie Maguire, having returned from injury and made his competitive York debut from the bench at Chesterfield on Saturday. It will be interesting to see whether there is a repeat of last Tuesday’s farcical first-minute substitution, and if so whether Ollie Pearce is the man making way again or whether Lindsey will look to share this particular duty around the squad.

A reminder that the rules of the EFL Trophy state that each team must include at least four qualifying outfield players in their starting eleven to ensure that they are meeting the requirement to play ‘Full Available Strength’. A qualifying player means any player who meets at least one of the following criteria:

• had started the immediately preceding first team fixture

• subsequently starts the immediately following first team fixture

• is in the list of ten players at the club with the highest number of starting appearances in first team fixtures in the same season

• has made forty or more starting appearances in first team fixtures or international equivalents (and not limited to the same club or season)

• is on standard loan from a Premier League club or any EFL club operating a Category One Academy.

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All good things must come to an end. In York's case, an incredible run in which they had scored in 44 consecutive games was ended by a Chesterfield side who turned on the style in the second half after an evenly-matched first period. The last time City had failed to hit the back of the net in a league fixture? The 1-0 home defeat to Solihull Moors almost a year ago to the day. Yet while that was a smash-and-grab by a plucky visiting side, this was a fair result and perhaps a reality check for Scott Lindsey's side after a promising start to their League Two campaign.

The afternoon started brightly enough for City, with Harry Boyes going close inside the first 15 seconds when his half-volley fizzed past the post with Chesterfield keeper Ryan Boot scrambling across. It was clear early on that both sides were set up to attack, and while City had a fair amount of the ball, Chesterfield’s high press threatened to lead to errors at the back. One such error almost led to the opening goal for the home side after a quarter of an hour when Ollie Banks - back on his old stomping ground for the first time since leaving the Spireites - dallied in possession inside his own area. The ball broke to Lee Bonis, but he couldn't keep his shot down and the mistake went unpunished.

Another ex-Chesterfield player then went even closer to opening the scoring at the other end. Boyes’ cutback from the left travelled all the way across the six yard box to Jeff King on the opposite side, and King hit a powerful strike that thundered against the crossbar and bounced just the wrong side of the line. Soon after, Ollie Pearce almost punished the home side for their own casual play at the back when he nearly robbed goalkeeper Boot of the ball, but Boot just about did enough to scramble the ball clear of danger. The chances continued to come at both ends, with Louie Marsh’s low shot being held by York keeper Alfie McNally, and a Banks strike from the right just missing the run of Pearce at the far post and flying wide.

Marsh, the 22-year-old loanee from Sheffield United, was looking particularly dangerous in the #10 role for Chesterfield. He advanced into the area only to see his shot deflected over by Alex Hunt, and soon after had another effort on target when he cut inside from the left and hit a low shot from a narrow angle that was blocked by the legs of McNally. York had Zak Johnson to thank for an excellent first-half performance that saw him snuff out danger on several occasions, such as when he combined with Mark Kitching to close down the shooting angle and block Dilan Markanday’s effort after the Chesterfield wide man had pounced on a loose Joe Grey pass. The last chance of the half fell to City, when Alex Newby's floated cross found King at the far post, but this time King's effort was blasted over.

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Given the number of chances for both sides in the first half, the score being goalless at the break was a surprise, although the teams being level was probably a fair reflection of the even distribution of those chances. The second half was a very different affair, however, as Chesterfield came flying out of the traps. A volley by Remaeo Hutton bounced wide, then McNally then had to be alert to sense the danger from an Alex Hunt backpass that Josh Koroma threatened to intercept, the young City keeper sliding in but crucially making contact with the ball before Koroma. A further warning was fired when Marsh brought the ball into the area unchallenged from the right and rattled the post with a strong effort. York were suddenly looking exposed, with their composure on the ball having deserted them, and Chesterfield were exploiting some big gaps between the City midfield and defence.

When the home side finally took one of their chances on 57 minutes, then, it was a just reward for their impressive play since the interval. George McEachran slipped the ball through to Lee Bonis, and his shot flew past McNally into the top left corner. Sensing that City were on the ropes, the hosts continued to flood forward after taking the lead. The home crowd felt they had a strong claim for a penalty when Johnson slid in on Marsh, but they had to make do with a corner. Veteran centre-back Kyle McFadzean was then found in front of goal by a Markanday cross, but his header was straight at McNally.

Scott Lindsey made his first change of the afternoon, with Jovan Malcolm replacing Jeff King and Joe Grey shifting to right wing-back, but City remained mostly pinned back in their own half. Markanday was a constant menace on the right for Chesterfield, buzzing around and always looking for a sight of goal. He had two chances in quick succession, first seeing his shot blocked by Hunt after a dangerous counter-attack, then shooting high and wide from the edge of the area after Banks’ headed clearance rolled into his path. City's frustration was summed up when McNally was penalised for holding on to the ball for too long, resulting in a corner for the home side under the new regulation.

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Paul Cook freshened up his midfield with a triple substitution, and Lindsey also rang the changes, introducing Arthur Read along with debutant Frankie Maguire. The substitutions had little impact on the overall flow of the game, though, with Chesterfield continuing to threaten a second goal and City unable to regain their rhythm. Markanday missed another chance when his first-time effort from near the penalty spot sailed wide of the post, then McNally's woodwork was struck again as Bonis’ curling effort beat the York keeper but hit the underside of the bar just as King's first half strike had. At this point, Chesterfield were cutting City open at will and it felt like a matter of time before they added to Bonis’ earlier goal.

Lindsey's last throw of the dice was to bring on Joe Felix and Zech Medley, and the introduction of the latter did at least provide a means for City to go direct. Medley was immediately the target for long balls from the back, and showed another string to his bow by sending a couple of long throws into the danger zone. The change of approach almost paid off just as the game entered injury time, when Felix put Pearce through on goal, but while Pearce did well to round goalkeeper Boot, his cutback failed to find a yellow shirt.

With City committing numbers forward in search of a late equaliser, they ran the risk of conceding a second on the counter, and so it proved in the seventh minute of time added on. Substitute Fraser Bryden found Markanday near the halfway line, and Markanday beat Read for pace down the right before cutting inside past Johnson and finishing a fine solo goal via a ricochet from the far post. Pearce came close to netting a consolation when he took the ball down cleverly before hitting a well-struck effort from the edge of the box, but it flashed wide and the final whistle blew moments later.

The 2-0 defeat meant that City's run of scoring in every league game since last September was ended, but more pertinently the second half saw York fans reintroduced to that most alien of concepts: being outplayed. The occasional defeats last season were generally the result of clinical finishing by an opponent or profligacy by York’s own attackers. This, on the other hand, was a loss at the hands of a Chesterfield side who looked superior in every department after the break: fitter, stronger, more confident with their passing game, and clearer in how to interpret their roles. The Spireites will expect to be competing for promotion this season, so there is no shame in the result, but City will need to improve on this second half showing if they want to join them as challengers.

We’ve met before…

York and Chesterfield’s most recent meetings came when they spent two seasons together in the National League before the Spireites won promotion in 2024. Although City were struggling near the foot of the table in both campaigns while Chesterfield competed at the top end, the Minstermen actually had the better of the four encounters, securing two wins and a draw.

In the 2022/23 season, a Mitch Hancox equaliser secured a 1-1 draw for York in October, after current City player Jeff King had opened the scoring for the Spireites. The reverse fixture on Good Friday saw Mikey Morton’s relegation-threatened York side pull off an unlikely 3-1 away win, with Olly Dyson, Michael Duckworth and Paddy McLaughlin on the scoresheet. 2024/25 saw another late season win for a City side battling the drop, when goals from Maz Kouhyar and Dipo Akinyemi secured a 2-1 victory over a Chesterfield side still recovering from their own title celebrations. The last clash between the teams at the SMH Group Stadium was less enjoyable for York, though, with Neal Ardley’s side defeated 4-0.

The two clubs have met regularly throughout their history, with Chesterfield edging the overall head-to-head on 40 wins to York’s 26. Other memorable encounters include an opening-day fixture at Saltergate in August 2000, when Peter Duffield gave City the lead after just 43 seconds only for the Spireites to hit back with four second-half goals to win 4-1.

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What to expect from Chesterfield

Chesterfield came into the 2026/27 season strongly backed to challenge for promotion, having made the League Two playoffs in both of the last two seasons. Their early season form has been mixed, however, with impressive away wins at Salford and Oldham not matched by their home form, as the Spireites have failed to win any of their first three league fixtures at the SMH Group Stadium. Manager Paul Cook, generally a popular figure at the club having led them to the National League title in 2024, has begun to come in for some criticism over tactics and team selection. Fan mood has improved over the last two games, though, with a last-minute equaliser securing a 3-3 draw with Barnet, then an impressive 2-1 win at Oldham last weekend.

Cook tends to set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, and is committed to a possession-focussed playing style. He also likes to commit numbers forward in attack and play with a high defensive line. It will be interesting to see how the game plays out from a tactical standpoint, with York also looking to dominate possession and attack with numbers. Both sides rank among the best in the league for chance creation, but both have only claimed one clean sheet so far this season, so an end-to-end game with plenty of goals could be on the cards.

Ryan Boot has been Chesterfield’s starting goalkeeper so far this season, but will face strong competition for his place soon with last season's first choice Zach Hemming close to returning from injury. Boot should retain his place for Saturday’s game at least, however.

Remeao Hutton should start at right-back, having impressed since joining from Gillingham in the summer. Backup is provided by 19-year-old Junior Eccleston, who scored his first Chesterfield goal in midweek in the EFL Trophy. At left-back, Lewis Gordon is likely to keep his place, although Tom Pearce has now returned from a spell on the sidelines and offers another option.

The starting centre-back duo of 39-year-old Kyle McFadzean and summer signing Jack Simpson look set to continue. Alfie Pond, another summer arrival, offers cover from the bench, while Malik Owolabi-Belewu will miss out after suffering a setback in his injury recovery.

In central midfield, the technically gifted George McEachran arrived from Grimsby this summer and has been an ever-present so far this season so looks to be a guaranteed starter. His most likely partner in deep-lying midfield is Ryan Stirk, assuming he has recovered from the knock that saw him taken off at Oldham. Veteran Tom Naylor is a favourite of Paul Cook but is mostly used from the bench now, while there are also two young loanees providing midfield cover in Kiano Dyer of Chelsea and Rafiq Lamptey of Millwall.

Chesterfield's wide attackers are key to their threat going forward. Dilan Markanday generally lines up on the right wing, and enjoys running at defences and cutting inside onto his favoured left foot. On the left flank, Sierra Leone international Josh Koroma is the most likely starter having joined on a season-long loan from Leyton Orient. Dylan Duffy is another winger on the club's books who is nearing a return from injury, so he could potentially return to the matchday squad.

The central attacking midfield spot should be claimed by Louie Marsh, with the young Sheffield United loanee having announced himself with a recent brace against Barnet. Other options including the more experienced Liam Mandeville and another loanee in Joel Randall from Bolton, who is the son of former York midfielder Adrian Randall.

The Spireites’ first choice at centre-forward is Northern Ireland international Lee Bonis, who scored 17 times for them in 2025/26 and has two goals to his name this season. Competition up front is provided by Fraser Bryden, who joined from Crusaders over summer and opened his account for Chesterfield in the midweek EFL Trophy win over Manchester City U21.

York team news

There seems little incentive for Scott Lindsey to make changes to the line-up that ran out 4-0 winners over Swindon last weekend, based on both that performance and the underwhelming display put in by City's second string against Newcastle U21 in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday. The only selection that might be open for question is the right wing-back spot. Joe Felix was rested against Swindon having been judged by Lindsey to be fatigued, but came off the bench to claim an assist in that game and followed it up with a rare goal in midweek, so could regain his place. The most likely outcome would seem to be Jeff King retaining the role after being left out of the EFL Trophy game, however. With King and Banks having combined for York’s second goal against their former club Swindon last weekend, they will perhaps be hoping to repeat the trick on Saturday, with both players having been part of Chesterfield’s National League title-winning side.

Craig Hewitt will miss out having picked up a hamstring injury this week, so a space on the bench will be available for one player who wasn’t involved in the matchday squad for the Swindon game. Lindsey confirmed that Frankie Maguire has recently returned to full training, so if he is deemed ready to return to action then he may be included among the substitutes. Otherwise, Dipo Akinyemi may be named on the bench, or perhaps even young Ben Farrar after his man of the match performance in midweek. Hiram Boateng has returned to some light training but probably remains weeks away from a return, while Josh Stones and Morgan Williams are other long-term absentees.