In part 1 of our squad depth analysis, we consider the uncertain goalkeeping situation, the three centre-back spots and the wing-back roles, looking at who might be first-choice in each position and who might provide cover.

Goalkeeper

This is the great unknown. With Harrison Male having left the club after two seasons as first-choice keeper, the space remains vacant with less than three weeks until our first competitive fixture.

George Sykes-Kenworthy looks set to continue as backup, having signed a contract extension in summer, but it seems unlikely that he would be entrusted with a starting berth in League Two. The expectation, therefore, is that a new #1 will be arriving imminently.

There have been persistent rumours linking Fulham youngster Alfie McNally with a loan move to the club, and this was given weight by Stuart Maynard’s comments about bringing in a Premier League goalkeeper after the recent Barnsley friendly. With nothing confirmed, though, speculation has inevitably mounted over whether this move (or others) may have fallen through. Wait and see, then, for this position.

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Right centre-back

This is another position where a vacancy has arisen: Malachi Fagan-Walcott was last season’s first choice on the right of the back three, but has now departed. It seems likely that Morgan Williams will take over this position, as he did when Fagan-Walcott was missing through injury in January and February last season. Williams proved an able deputy, as City won 9 of the 11 games he started and kept 6 clean sheets. While it will inevitably be difficult for him to replicate the impact of Fagan-Walcott in an attacking sense, Williams offers defensive solidity, athleticism and aerial presence, and is comfortable getting involved further up the pitch even if lacking Fagan-Walcott’s attacking flair.

Backup for the right centre-back position looks likely to come from Ryan Fallowfield, who made a handful of starts there last season when injuries limited York’s defensive options. While not a natural centre-back and lacking the height of Williams, he has proved himself a dependable option and is seen as an important figure in the dressing room. What he does offer is energy and enthusiasm, a willingness to get forward in support of the attack, and plenty of bite in the tackle. His role will surely be, as it was last season, primarily as an option from the bench.

Central centre-back

After joining on loan from Sunderland last November, Zak Johnson soon made the position in the middle of the back three his own with a series of increasingly commanding performances. Having now signed for City permanently, he seems certain to be the first choice starter in this role again for 2026/27. His strength in the air and reading of the game make him perfect for this position which is often the last line of defence. While reasonably comfortable on the ball, he is less well-suited to the outside centre-back roles which carry greater attacking responsibility, as was demonstrated in the few games he started at right centre-back last season.

With Callum Howe no longer at the club, the obvious backup for the central position in the back three would come from Ash Palmer. His game time last season was limited due to injury and the form of others including Johnson, and some expected him to depart this season (perhaps dropping back to a National League side on loan). He offers experience of league football, though, so Maynard may consider him a solid enough backup. Alternatively, further reinforcements may arrive for this role, or the other centre-backs at the club who could step into the central role (in particular, Medley and McArthur) may be deemed sufficient cover.

Left centre-back

The left-sided centre-back position belonged to Mark Kitching last season, with his combination of defensive nous, confidence carrying the ball upfield and crossing ability proving ideal for the role. With two new left-footed centre-backs recruited over summer, however, I believe that Kitching’s role may switch to left wing-back this season.

In this case, it would be new signings Zech Medley and Charlie McArthur battling for the spot on the left of the back three. Medley offers the benefit of adding height to the back line, and has played this role before (as well as even more advanced roles such as left wing-back). His greater experience of league football probably gives him the edge as the most likely starter here. McArthur is also left-footed and is comfortable bringing the ball out of defence, so may be in contention to start if he impresses in pre-season but is perhaps more likely to be backup at first. Kitching also remains an option in this position, of course.

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Right wing-back

Who starts at right wing-back is one of the most open questions, and one of the most interesting. Jeff King was first-choice here last season after returning from loan at Boreham Wood in January, and made an important contribution to the second half of City’s title winning campaign. His accurate crossing ability is valued by Maynard, and he offers an option for delivering set pieces. However, he did look somewhat defensively exposed at times last season (for instance when facing Abdul Abdulmalik in the 3-2 defeat at Boreham Wood), and the wide attackers he will come up against in League Two are likely to present even greater threat. His last experience in League Two at Swindon was not a success, although off-pitch concerns may have contributed to this. The key question is whether Maynard believes King can make the step up to the league this time.

The other main contender for the role is Joe Felix. After winning clubman of the year in 2024/25, and being a regular starter in Maynard’s first two months in charge, he was surprisingly dropped from the starting line-up and only made sporadic appearances after that point. The reasoning seems to have been that, for the wing-back roles, Maynard valued attacking abilities such as crossing and dribbling over the stamina, defensive strength and versatility offered by Felix. However, injuries may have been a factor in why Felix couldn’t break back into the team, so with a full pre-season it could be that he emerges again as a contender to start.

Another possibility is that Joe Grey is selected at right wing-back: his pace and dribbling ability would provide a different profile out wide to either King or Felix. However, this may rely on further development of the defensive side of Grey’s game, and he is probably more likely to be used further forward. Additional cover at right wing-back comes from Ryan Fallowfield, who is comfortable slotting in here even if only as a substitute when the starter runs out of steam.

Left wing-back

Much like the right wing-back spot, this selection isn’t easy to call, with a few options available. As mentioned in the left centre-back section, I think that Mark Kitching may well be moved to this role. This move would allow additional height in the side, and would not be alien to Kitching: he has played at left wing-back a fair amount in the past, including during Oldham’s promotion season. His confidence in carrying the ball forward, beating opposition players and sending in crosses would seem to make him ideal for the role. The only reason to doubt this move is how effective he was in the left-sided centre-back position last season, but seeing him fielded at wing-back against Barnsley adds weight to the view that this could be his new role.

The other main option at left wing-back is Ben Brookes, who started here in 14 of City’s final 20 games last season after being mostly restricted to substitute appearances before that. Brookes’ arrival in the starting line-up helped solidify the defence, and he offered an additional left-footed crossing threat. Having only made his National League debut last season, though, it may be a challenge for Brookes to immediately adapt to a further step up. I expect him to be involved in the matchday squads, but as with last season he may have to bide his time to gain regular starts.

Another option comes in the form of Alex Newby: a majority of his 33 starts last season came at left wing-back, and he was able to offer a strong attacking threat from there, notching 14 goals. However, he is less comfortable with the defensive side of the wing-back role than either Kitching or Brookes, and may therefore be seen more as an option in attacking midfield. Finally, Zech Medley is another left-footer and has played at wing-back as recently as last season with Bromley, so could offer a further option here, but is more likely to be used primarily in the back three.

Stay tuned for part 2 next week, when our attention will turn to midfield and attack.

I would highly recommend giving Gab and the EFL Debate a follow - he really knows his stuff when it comes to the lower leagues, and will be putting out a similar deep dive for every other EFL club in the lead-up to the 2026/27 season.

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Let’s take a look at how the eight clubs most recently promoted from the National League have fared since returning to the EFL, and see what lessons might be taken on board for City.

1. Promoted sides do well!

The first point is a simple one, but worth highlighting: the teams who have come up from the National League over the last four seasons have progressed very well, not only in their first season back but in subsequent campaigns. Half of these clubs will be plying their trade at an even higher level than League Two in 2026/27: while Wrexham’s rise to the Championship may be a special case, Stockport have followed up automatic promotion from League Two with consecutive 3rd place finishes in League One, and they will be joined in the third tier next season by Bromley and Notts County. The other four remain in League Two but have not stagnated either, with all of them finishing either in a playoff position or just outside the top 7 last season.

For these sides who have escaped non-league recently, seasons of struggle have been rare. In fact, looking at their 20 collective league placings since returning to the EFL, there are 18 top-half finishes and only 2 bottom-half finishes. The outliers are Grimsby's difficult second season back in League Two in which they finished 21st, and Notts County’s first season back (under Stuart Maynard for the second half of the campaign) which produced a mid-table finish of 14th. Both teams have kicked on since then, however, and both finished in the playoffs last season, with Notts County gaining promotion. The overall trend points towards City being much more likely to challenge towards the top end of League Two than face a season of struggle like the one experienced the last time they returned to the league in 2012/13.

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2. The winner takes it all

Looking at the league finishes of teams promoted from the National League, there seems to be an advantage to gaining promotion as league winners: in each of the last four seasons, the side who went up as champions have finished higher in League Two the following season than the side who were promoted via the playoffs. Three of the four most recent National League champions (Stockport, Wrexham and Chesterfield) have finished in at least the playoffs in their first season back, with Barnet coming close to this feat but ultimately finishing 8th last season. None of the four sides promoted via the National League playoffs, on the other hand, have recorded a top seven finish in their first season back.

There are a few potential reasons for this: an obvious one is that winning the league suggests they were a stronger side than the playoff winners anyway, while the extra time to plan for the following season may give a slight advantage in recruitment (as well as a couple of weeks’ extra rest for the squad).

York might, therefore, feel good about their chances of finishing above Rochdale again. But don’t write off Dale just yet: league finishes from subsequent seasons show that playoff winners can catch up, as evidenced by Bromley finishing below Chesterfield in 2024/25 but then leapfrogging them last season to be promoted as League Two champions.

3. Possession isn’t nine tenths of the law

City’s success last season was built on dominating possession: their average of 62.8% possession was higher than any other National League clubs, and a remarkably high average in general (among the 92 Premier League and EFL clubs, only Manchester City and Cardiff had averages over 60% last season). This reflects a trend where the top spots in the National League are generally taken by teams with a possession-heavy style - Barnet and Chesterfield also averaged over 60% in their title-winning National League campaigns.

A quick look at the possession figures from League Two last season, however, tells quite a different story. None of the five teams ranked highest for average possession finished in the automatic promotion spaces - while four of them finished between 5th and 8th, Crawley were a real outlier as they only just escaped relegation despite having the second highest possession in the league. Champions Bromley, on the other hand, had the third lowest possession average in the league, while MK Dons and Cambridge also won automatic promotion with fairly middling possession stats.

Barnet and Oldham, who both came up from the National League in 2024/25, present an interesting contrast: Barnet typically dominate possession while Oldham are happier to let their opponents have the ball. While Barnet did finish above Oldham again in 2025/26, the gap between the two sides was cut from 29 points in the National League the previous season to just 8 points in League Two.

The lesson for York is that a possession-based approach may be a less dependable route to success in League Two than it is in the National League. There may be a greater need for a plan B which involves less reliance on dominating the midfield battle and more on effectiveness in both boxes. We did see hints of this at times last season - the 3-0 win at Scunthorpe on a dreadful Glanford Park pitch was achieved with just 44% possession as we switched to a more direct approach - so there are reasons to be optimistic that Stuart Maynard can change tactics where needed, and that the squad is versatile enough to adapt to different styles of play.

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4. Set pieces can be vital

How did Bromley manage to win League Two last season without having much of the ball? A big part of the answer is set pieces. Goals from set pieces have been increasing across English football in recent years, and nowhere is this more pronounced than in League Two, with 31.8% of all goals scored in the league coming from set pieces last season.

Not only is the proportion of set piece goals increasing, but there’s also a growing correlation between a team’s performance in the league and how many set piece goals they score. This is reflected in the fact that the teams with the highest number of set piece goals in their league last season were title winners in the Premier League (Arsenal), Championship (Coventry), League One (Lincoln) and League Two (Bromley). The example of Bromley is most relevant here - 44% of their goals came from set pieces, as they found ways to hurt opponents even while having relatively little possession. This relied heavily on the accurate deliveries of Mitch Pinnock, who created by far the most chances in the league at 137 over the season, along with physically imposing players capable of winning aerial battles to get on the end of these deliveries, like 6ft 6in centre-back Omar Sowumni who scored 7 goals from set pieces.

This trend could be a concern for York, but also an opportunity. City’s defending at set pieces occasionally let them down last season, for instance in the 3-2 defeat at Boreham Wood where all three goals conceded came from not dealing effectively with a set piece delivery. Matt Uggla mentioned this as an area of focus in his post-season interview with York Hospital Ball, so we can expect that one aim of this summer’s recruitment may be to reduce the number of set piece goals conceded. But the potential for York to make effective use of set pieces in an attacking sense should not be overlooked: there are players in the squad capable of delivering accurate set pieces (Alex Hunt’s free-kicks and corners, Ben Brookes’ long throw), and they have been joined by the likes of Arthur Read and Frankie Maguire who both have a track record of racking up assists from set pieces.

5. These things take time

While teams promoted from the National League have almost all thrived in League Two recently, they’ve sometimes had to recover from a slow start. Last season, Barnet lost their first 3 games and only managed 7 wins in the league before Christmas as they experimented with different formations and personnel. After January, though, a reliable goalscorer arrived in the form of Kabongo Tshimanga and their results improved. By the end of the season, they were hitting promotion form, with 7 wins from their last 8 games. Oldham also got off to a sluggish start in 2025/26, failing to win any of their first 6 games. They spent most of the season in the bottom half of the league, but a hot streak of 8 wins from 9 games in February and March raised hopes of a late playoff push, only for them to fall away again in April and end up in 10th.

There are plenty of other examples of teams being slow out of the traps in their first season back in the league, but going on to improve. Stockport were in the bottom half of the league as late as January in 2022/23 but went on to finish 4th; Wrexham only won 6 of their first 14 games the season after but ultimately gained automatic promotion; and Bromley were only 3 points clear of the drop zone in early December of their first league season but finished well clear of danger in 11th. It’s probably unsurprising that there would be an initial period of adjusting to a new league with a consistently stronger level of opponent and perhaps a greater physical challenge.

If York don’t get off to a flying start, then, it would be wise not to panic. This is particularly true considering that the fixtures for August and September look difficult. And while it might be optimistic to hope for a repeat of last season's points tally, it's worth remembering that a team sitting 7th in the league at the start of November can end up as champions with 108 points.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: yes, Arthur Read shares a name with a certain cartoon aardvark. A quick Google search for his name will bring up a lot more results about the bespectacled TV mammal than the 26-year-old midfielder who joined the Minstermen this summer. But does the aardvark have a wand of left foot and possess a mean set piece delivery? The evidence of his footballing pedigree is thin, but points towards him being a fairly undistinguished goalkeeper. So let’s forget about that Arthur Read.

Arthur Read (the footballer) started his career in the youth system at Luton Town, and progressed well enough to be handed his first-team debut in the EFL Trophy aged just 17. He left Kenilworth Road at 19, however, to join Brentford as part of their B team. Brentford set up the B team structure in 2016 after the closure of their academy, with the intention of providing a different pathway to the first team. Under this setup, Read made 30 appearances in the 2019/20 season as Brentford B (who at that point only played friendlies rather than competing in a league) toured various countries across Europe.

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The following season, Read joined Stevenage on loan and quickly established himself in their first team. He impressed manager Alex Revell enough to make the move permanent, but the next season found game time harder to come by as Stevenage struggled near the bottom of League Two and went through three managers. Under Steve Evans, Read broke back into the first team and provided some important assists to help secure their status in the league. But by January 2023, he had again become frustrated at a lack of regular starts and made the move to fellow League Two side Colchester United for an undisclosed fee.

Colchester is where Read has really come into his own as a top midfielder at the level over the past three-and-a-half seasons. After cementing his place in their team in the second half of the 2022/23 season, the following campaign was a breakout one for Read. While the U’s struggled near the foot of the table, the few bright moments they had often came from Read: highlights included scoring a brace in a 5-4 win over Notts County, winning the League Two goal of the month award for a superb solo goal against Sutton, and curling an inch-perfect free-kick into the top corner in a 1-0 win at Morecambe. It was no surprise when he was named Colchester’s player of the season.

The 2024/25 season saw Colchester improve under Danny Cowley, just missing out on a playoff place, and Read continued to be a regular starter in midfield even if his goals and assists didn’t quite hit the same heights as the previous season. In 2025/26, he recaptured his form in front of goal, hitting a career-best 7 goals over the season including another League Two goal of the month (a rocket into the corner in a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury). He was also instrumental in setting up opportunities for teammates, ranking 5th among all players in League Two for chances created. His status as one of the standout midfielders in the division was underlined when he was named in the League Two team of the season.

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With his contract at Colchester expiring this summer, Read makes the move up to York citing the ambition of the club to push for back-to-back promotions as a motivating factor. His signing is a statement of intent for City: as George Elek said on a recent episode of the Not The Top 20 podcast, “Going out and getting a guy who's been a key player for an established League Two side with big ambitions themselves is a pretty good marker to lay down”. Given how highly-rated he is at the level, we can expect him to play a big part, but where might he fit into City’s midfield?

His role will surely be as one of the two deeper-lying midfielders, and as he is left-footed that may suggest he will be competing with Hiram Boateng for the left of those two spots. Read’s strengths are as a playmaker, often acting as the link between defence and attack, picking up the ball from deep and either initiating passing moves or carrying the ball upfield. With his other key attributes including shots from distance and set piece deliveries, it’s tempting to describe him as a left-footed version of Alex Hunt (with a little more physicality).

Read’s heatmap from Colchester’s 4-1 win over Barnet this February, in which he scored the opener, reflects how he is comfortable dropping deep to offer a passing option for the defence, but also how he likes to take up positions in the ‘half-space’ between the flanks and the central zone where he can offer an attacking threat. It also shows that he doesn’t stick to the left side of the pitch, so could potentially occupy the right midfield spot if needed. York now look to have a great deal of depth for the deeper midfield roles, with Read and Mark Shelton offering competition for last year’s most common starting duo of Hunt and Boateng. Which pairing Stuart Maynard selects to start the season will be interesting, but it’s a nice headache to have.

The potential of Charlie McArthur was clear from a young age. Having come through the youth system at Kilmarnock, he was handed his first-team debut by the club at the age of just 16. McArthur was named man of the match, and his partner in central defence Euan Murray gave his performance a glowing review, describing how “he picks up good positions and is very composed on the ball…he isn’t rash that you sometimes find in young centre-halves”.

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Kilmarnock would go on to win the Scottish Championship that season, with McArthur making his first league start on the last day of the season. He was also gaining recognition at international level, captaining the Scotland side that played at the U17 European Championship in 2022.

At this point, Newcastle United came calling, fighting off competition from Brighton to secure the 17-year-old McArthur’s signing for a reported fee of around £350,000. An injury early in 2022/23 meant that he saw little action that season, but the following season he became a regular for the Newcastle U21 side. This included appearing in all of their UEFA Youth League games, coming up against the likes of PSG, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.

The next season saw Newcastle send McArthur on loan to Carlisle United in search of experience of senior football. Carlisle were embroiled in a relegation fight, and manager Mike Williamson brought in McArthur along with several others in an attempt to turn the tide, believing McArthur would be a good fit for his possession-based playing style. Williamson lost his job soon after, however, and McArthur saw his game time more limited under replacement Mark Hughes, ending the season with 10 appearances as the Cumbrians failed to beat the drop. The season did bring further international involvement for McArthur with a first appearance for the Scotland U21 side.

Last season saw McArthur enter the final year of his deal at Newcastle, and he was sent out on loan again, this time to Scottish Championship outfit Airdrieonians. He established himself in the first team, earning positive reviews for his performances at centre-back, but was unable to prevent Airdrie being relegated at the end of the season.

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With his time at Newcastle up, McArthur moves to the next stage of his career with a permanent move to York. In his first interview after joining, he highlighted an eagerness to get regular first-team football as one of his key motivating factors behind the move. But where might he slot in at City, and who will he be competing with for a starting berth?

It's interesting that McArthur and Zech Medley arrived on the same day, with both being left-footed centre-backs. Adding these two to Mark Kitching means that there are now three players fitting that description at the club, and to have all three jostling for the same position on the left of the back three might seem like overkill. It may be, therefore, that McArthur is seen more as competition for Zak Johnson in the middle of the back three - while left-footed, previous managers have commented on McArthur being comfortable with both feet, which could make him well-suited to this role.

The other qualities highlighted most often by those who have worked with McArthur are his maturity and leadership skills for such a young player, as well as his composure on the ball. With York prioritising possession football and often trying to play out from the back, being comfortable with the ball at his feet should enable him to slot into the back line well. His potential is clear - now, at 21, he will be looking to take the next step and establish himself as a key part of City's defence.

The first thing that jumps out about Zech Medley is his size: at 6ft 5, he strikes an imposing figure. Given his height, it’s no surprise that having started out as a winger in the Chelsea academy, Medley’s favoured position evolved first to left-back and eventually centre-back, where he has played most of his football since. He was highly rated as a youth prospect, making 8 appearances for England U16s alongside other talents from his age group including the likes of Marc Guehi, Phil Foden and Harrison Male, who was in goal for the Young Lions for Medley’s debut against Japan.

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At the age of 16, Medley made the move across London to Arsenal where he signed his first professional contract. In 2017/18, he broke his way into the Arsenal U23 side and helped them win the PL2, then the following season caught the eye of then-manager Unai Emery enough to be included in the first-team squad. Medley made his debut in a Europa League tie against Vorskla Poltava, coming off the bench to play in front of Petr Cech in goal as the Gunners saw out a 3-0 win - another notable debutant for Arsenal that night was Bukayo Saka.

With first-team opportunities limited, though, Medley was sent out on loan to League One Gillingham in 2020/21 to gain greater experience of senior football. After 18 appearances for the Gills, he was recalled by Arsenal then sent on another loan to Kilmarnock for the remainder of the season. He scored his first goal in professional football at Killie, but couldn’t prevent their relegation from the Scottish Premiership that season.

Medley departed Arsenal in summer 2021 in search of regular first-team football, moving to Belgian Pro League outfit KV Oostende. He did play a decent amount of football there, making 66 appearances across three seasons and even occasionally being used as an emergency forward, but it was a difficult time for the club due to the off-the-pitch troubles. With the owners struggling to keep on top of mounting debts, Oostende were relegated from the top flight in 2023, then a year later the club was declared bankrupt and dissolved, leaving Medley seeking new employers.

At this point, Medley returned to the English game, joining League Two Fleetwood Town on a two-year deal, but his time there got off to a nightmare start as he suffered a ruptured Achilles in his fourth appearance. The injury kept him out of action for almost the entire season, only returning for a handful of games in April. The 2025/26 season saw him get more regular playing time for the Fishermen, occasionally playing at left wing-back rather than his more typical centre-back role.

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Following the exit of Fleetwood manager Pete Wild in January, Medley made a surprise loan move to League Two pace-setters Bromley, reuniting with boss Andy Woodman who he had worked with in the Arsenal youth setup. His debut at centre-back earned positive reviews, and while he was in and out of the team after that, he played a part in helping the Ravens secure the League Two title ahead of higher profile clubs. With his contract at Fleetwood expiring this summer, some expected Medley to make a permanent move to Bromley: the hosts of the From Bromley With Love podcast expressed a desire to see him return, citing his versatility and ability as reasons why he could step up to League One with them, while expressing some doubts about his consistency.

It’s the Minstermen who have secured Medley’s signing, though, so where might we expect him to fit in? It seems likely that he will primarily compete with Mark Kitching for the left-sided centre-back spot. As a physically imposing defender who is also comfortable bringing the ball out of defence, he fits the profile City have looked for in these positions previously, and as a left footer he would add balance to the back three if played there.

While Medley has played at left-back and left wing-back on occasion, Stuart Maynard tends to prefer more attacking options at left wing-back, prioritising attacking threat and crossing ability. Medley’s heat map from a recent game for Bromley against Cambridge shows most of his touches coming in his own half, which is more similar to Kitching for York last season than players such as Ben Brookes or Alex Newby who were used at wing-back. It may in fact be more likely that Kitching could move out to left wing-back if Medley starts on the left of the back three.

Medley will be hoping for better luck with his move to York, after Oostende’s financial troubles marred his spell in Belgium and injury derailed his time at Fleetwood. His potential is clear, and at 25 he should be ready to enter the prime of his career. He may need to adapt to a new playing style, with City’s possession-heavy system differing from the more functional or direct approaches taken by Pete Wild’s Fleetwood and Andy Woodman’s Bromley. But, as a player honed in an Arsenal youth system that placed great emphasis on technical skill, this style may bring out the best in him.

Attention often turns to a few standout issues: who we’re playing first, last, and in the Bank Holiday games. But we want to look a little deeper than that, and try to start working out whether the fixture computer has thrown up any particularly gentle or challenging runs of fixtures for the Minstermen.

Introducing the Same Old City Fixture Difficulty Calculator! We’ve fed it a range of data (basically, how the bookies rate each team - not a perfect measure but as good as any), grouped the teams into four categories according to their strength, then added in a home/away factor to reflect home games being statistically a bit easier. Each fixture is therefore given a difficulty rating from 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest). Here’s the full schedule, then let’s try and pull out a few key points.

Takeaway #1: It’s the Gas, Gas, Gas

What jumps out immediately is that we’ve been handed a tricky first couple of fixtures. Starting out at home against Bristol Rovers feels quite apt, given that they were the opponents in our last home game in the league 10 years ago, but it’s also an awkward opener. The Gas are currently among the favourites for promotion, having been perhaps the form team in League Two over the final third of last season - they had looked set for a relegation fight when Steve Evans took over in December, but a run of 10 wins from their last 12 games saw them finish comfortably mid-table.

It gets no easier straight after, with a trip to relegated Rotherham United, who are also expected to challenge near the top end of the table. Their drop to the fourth tier was a surprise, having yo-yoed between the Championship and League One over the previous decade, so they will be targeting an immediate return. At the time of writing, though, their managerial position is still vacant and they are yet to make a signing, so their status as one of the favourites may be based more on historic club size than any confidence in their current setup.

Takeaway #2: Tricky early away trips

As well as the tough-looking first away game at Rotherham, there are a number of other trips to well-fancied sides in the first few weeks of the season. There are only 7 games across the season with the highest difficulty rating according to our calculator, and 3 of these come within our first 5 away games.

While the early September trips to Cheltenham and Crewe look a little more favourable on paper, the next two away games look much more difficult: Chesterfield and Barnet are currently rated as two of the favourites to win League Two. City fans won’t have fond memories of their last trips to either ground, having been thumped 4-0 at Chesterfield in 2023 and lost 3-1 at The Hive in a game that handed Barnet the initiative in the 2024/25 National League title race. If our away form isn’t keeping pace with our home form in mid-October, how the fixture list has fallen might give an explanation.

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Takeaway #3: It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Festive fixtures are always a highlight of the calendar, and a Boxing Day reunion with Oldham immediately draws the attention (let’s hope it’s not too foggy in Greater Manchester this Christmas). But while that trip to Boundary Park looks fairly challenging on paper, otherwise our fixture calculator highlights December as the month with the easiest run of games.

Shrewsbury, Tranmere and Crawley were all caught up in the League Two relegation battle last season, and the bookies’ odds suggest we might expect similar this time round. After facing those three, we then have the trip to Oldham followed by a home game against Fleetwood Town. While not grouped among the favourites for relegation, Fleetwood seem to be on a downward curve, with recent lower mid-table finishes a far cry from their dalliances with the League One playoffs a few years ago, and their financial backing reduced since their former owner ran into legal trouble.

Even looking ahead into January, the fixture list looks fairly kind for the first few games of 2027. While the visit of heavily backed Salford City on New Year’s Day looks tough, it’s followed by a return fixture at Crawley then games against Newport and Accrington, both widely expected to struggle. Clashes with Port Vale and Grimsby late in the month look likely to present more of a challenge, however.

Takeaway #4: Beware the Ides of March

March looks to be the toughest month of fixtures for City by a fair distance. A difficult-looking trek to Bristol Rovers is followed by a Yorkshire derby at home against Rotherham and then a trip to Walsall. City will have to hope that the Saddlers’ 2026/27 season follows a familiar pattern - in both of the last two seasons they have been title challengers at the turn of the year only to fall away due to a collapse in form over the second half of the campaign.

The Easter weekend double-header in late March looks no less difficult. Good Friday sees us travel to another promotion favourite in the form of Salford, while Easter Monday brings a first visit of Oldham to the LNER since that playoff semi-final. There’s not much let-up in April, either, with only a home game against Tranmere looking particularly favourable according to our calculator.

Takeaway #5: Salop, farewell

Our league season ends with a trip to Shrewsbury Town, continuing a recent trend of ending our seasons on the road. This will be the 6th successive campaign where City’s regulation league fixtures end with an away game, meaning that the LNER will still be yet to host a season finale (not counting playoff games). You have to look back to 2019 for the last time a full season ended with a home fixture - a forgettable 1-0 win over AFC Telford at Bootham Crescent.

If there’s anything riding on that final day fixture, though, there are potentially worse places to be than away at a side rated among the weakest in the division. And if there’s any kind of repeat of our most recent final day at Rochdale, no-one will be complaining too much about having to make the journey to Shropshire.

Bring on August 15th.

Both have departed the club over the past few days, and both will be difficult to replace. Howe, the old-school leader from the back, rarely beaten in the air, a warrior. Fagan-Walcott, the modern overlapping centre-back, rapid and skilful, equally comfortable in both boxes. They leave at different stages of their career, and with different destinations (no-one has ever mistaken Scunthorpe for Edinburgh, and Glanford Park won’t be hosting European football any time soon), but both deserve a tribute for the part they played in helping us back into the football league.

Let’s start with Callum Howe. His signing ahead of the 2023/24 season went somewhat under the radar, with the arrival of fellow centre-back Tyler Cordner for a six-figure sum attracting more attention. He was one of only a handful of players to emerge from that campaign with any credit, cementing himself in the back line and proving a reliable presence alongside a rotating cast of defenders.

It was the following season under Adam Hinshelwood that Howe really began to flourish, though, adapting better than many expected to the high-risk possession style favoured by the new manager and chipping in with a few goals. The most memorable has to be his strike in the 7-2 thrashing of Aldershot. It starts, naturally, with Howe winning a header. What comes next is a little more unexpected: he advances forward unopposed, plays a pass to Ollie Pearce then transforms suddenly into prime Gareth Bale, arcing his run from the left flank into the box to receive the return pass then dropping his shoulder before curling an inch-perfect finish into the far corner.

Last season didn't go quite as smoothly, as successive spells out due to concussion meant that Howe lost his place at the centre of the back three, and was restricted to cameos off the bench. It's testament to his character that he still managed to make a valuable contribution, coming on late to protect a vital 1-0 lead in a slugfest at Tamworth, then memorably on the last day at Spotland forcing the save that led to Stones’ equaliser after he'd rallied the troops by insisting we'd get “one more chance”. A fitting end to his time with the club, and no-one could begrudge him deciding that a chance to potentially play a part in another National League promotion challenge alongside his brother at Scunthorpe would be preferable to staying at York with his playing time in all likelihood limited.

One major reason why Howe was able to hit such fine form over the last two seasons was the arrival of a new partner in defence, in the form of Malachi Fagan-Walcott. Arriving from Cardiff initially on loan in September 2024, it was clear quite quickly that here was a player with a level of natural ability rarely seen in non-league. We've had some solid enough centre-backs at York over the years, but how many do we see nutmegging opposing defenders for fun, or throwing in a few stepovers as they saunter into the area and get a shot away? Fagan-Walcott did all of this for York, often without seeming to break a sweat. But that's not to say he didn't do the old-fashioned bits of defending too - it's hard to remember too many occasions when he was beaten by an attacker, either in the air or on the ground.

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Fagan-Walcott impressed in his first season with the club, but if anything the arrival of Stuart Maynard and subsequent switch to a back three allowed him to hit even greater heights as he was afforded even more freedom to join the attacks. A favourite moment of mine, understandably overshadowed by the goal that followed, came in the 4-0 home win over Tamworth when he made a superb tackle that both prevented a quick Tamworth counter-attack and set up Alex Hunt to leather another one into the net from distance. His most memorable contribution in a York shirt, though, will probably be the stoppage time header against Altrincham that sealed a 2-1 win. Not the most important late goal we scored last season, but still pretty special.

It felt inevitable that Fagan-Walcott would work his way back up to a higher level, so his move to Hearts for a reported club record fee did not come as a huge surprise. The real question is why Cardiff didn’t realise what they had and were willing to let him leave permanently for (presumably) a fraction of that fee 18 months ago. Having already made a Champions League appearance as a teenager at Spurs, he'll now have another chance to play in Europe with Hearts, and City fans will have a Scottish side to keep an eye out for.

Comparisons could be made with the last time City lost a key player to an Edinburgh team, when Clayton Donaldson moved to Hibs nearly two decades ago. But, unlike then, the club will be handsomely compensated this time. While it may seem counterintuitive, selling players can actually be a sign of a successful club, creating a virtuous cycle as more top prospects see it as a stepping stone to greater things and the profits from player sales can be reinvested in finding the next gem. Credit must go to the owners for firstly identifying the potential in Fagan-Walcott and secondly tying him down to a lengthy contract so that a large fee was needed to prise him away.

Go well, then, Cal and Mal. You’ll be a tough double act to follow.

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It’s undoubtedly a widespread belief: that in football, as in life, things are never the same second time around. But it's not a belief shared by Dipo Akinyemi, or by York City, as he returns to the Minstermen just a year after departing for Derry City. According to Matt Uggla, Dipo is coming back with ‘unfinished business’. He returns with the club a league higher, and with Josh Stones having established himself as the first choice number 9. So is this an overly sentimental move, or a smart bit of business to add more quality to our attacking options?

Let’s cast our minds back to Akinyemi’s first spell at City. He arrived with a fanfare, and for a significant six-figure fee, amid the chaos of the club’s post-takeover recruitment in the summer of 2023. Unlike some of the other arrivals that summer, he was an instant success, striking up a partnership with Lenell John-Lewis and hitting 8 goals in his first 15 games even as the club struggled. Some injury troubles, plus the defensive setup favoured by boss Neal Ardley, meant that Dipo was unable to maintain this scoring form, with almost 3 months passing before he scored again. Another hot streak arrived late in the season, though, as his goals played a key part in securing National League safety after Adam Hinshelwood took over. The tally of 15 goals for the season only tells part of the story; in some moments Akinyemi showed a level of skill and ingenuity rarely seen in the National League, such as the instinctive long-range strike away at Bromley or the solo goal at home against Chesterfield (both against opponents who won promotion that season).

His second season at the club never really got going. The arrival of Ollie Pearce as the new first-choice striker left Akinyemi either consigned to the bench or played out wide on the left. His first goal of the season didn’t come until November, and by the January transfer window there were strong rumours linking him with a move to Chesterfield. That deal was seemingly pulled at the last minute, but another injury followed which kept him out of action for most of the remainder of the season. He made a surprise return to the starting line-up for the playoff semi-final defeat against Oldham, and that looked set to be his last game in a City shirt as the move to Derry was confirmed in July 2025.

Those two seasons give cause for optimism at what his return might bring to the City squad, but also reasons to be cautious. There can be no doubt that a fit and motivated Akinyemi can be an asset in League Two; his combination of explosiveness, physicality and technical ability would surely be attractive to most teams at the level. While he was an awkward fit on the left of a front three under Hinshelwood, within Stuart Maynard's system he will most likely be used in his more natural role as a striker. And there is a clear need for another option up front to allow Josh Stones some rest late on in games, or to cover in case of an injury.

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Yet whether Akinyemi is the right man to fill that role remains an open question. Perhaps the biggest concern is whether he can stay fit, having picked up a series of injuries over the past few seasons. With the hard limit of 22 named squad members in League Two, it's vital to avoid players spending too long in the treatment room. Another concern voiced by some fans is whether he will be happy playing a bit-part role - Dipo himself said in an interview with York Hospital Ball that “I want to play where I'm wanted…where I'm the main man”. But it seems that his issue was less with a lack of a guaranteed starting place and more with how he was being used by Hinshelwood out on the left, so this fear may be overblown.

These concerns should not be dismissed out of hand, but ultimately this is a move with high potential upsides if he can recapture his best form, and fairly low risks given that we still have Stones and Pearce. Akinyemi has already played a big part in one chapter of the club's history, and while there's no guarantee that the sequel will be a success, wouldn't it be lovely if it was? Go on Dipo, prove Agatha wrong.

Frankie Maguire came through the Sheffield United youth system, impressing enough in the lower age group teams to make his way into Chris Wilder’s matchday squad for a handful of Premier League games in the 2020/21 season at the age of 17. He never made it onto the pitch for the Blades’ senior team, though, instead spending the next few seasons on loan at a series of non-league outfits.

Maguire’s first loan was at Bradford Park Avenue, where he made 7 appearances for the National League North side in 2021/22, including playing in their 3-0 win over York at the LNER where he teed up the final goal. The following season saw a successful stint at Kettering Town, where Maguire scored 4 goals in 14 games. The first half of 2023/24 was spent in a fairly unremarkable loan spell at Chester where he struggled for game time, but a further loan at Chorley from January was more productive as he started regularly for the Magpies as they made the National League North playoffs.

It was at his next port of call that Maguire would begin to make a name for himself as a top prospect, though: following the expiry of his contract at Sheffield United, he was signed by newly-promoted Boston United ahead of their first season back in the National League. He made a bright start for the Pilgrims - City fans may remember his standout performance in their 2-0 win at York in August 2024 - but the season was a struggle for Boston, and relegation looked likely as they were 10 points from safety in late January. Under new manager Graham Coughlan, however, they pulled off a great escape, with Maguire playing a key role in the late season resurgence that saw them survive: he scored some crucial goals including a fine strike from outside the area in a 3-0 win over Southend, plus a brace in a relegation six-pointer against Wealdstone. Maguire finished the season with 6 goals and 5 assists.

The 2025/26 season would be even more fruitful for Maguire at Boston, as he contributed 8 goals and 9 assists: an impressive tally considering that he missed the first third of the season through injury. Again, the Pilgrims were in the relegation mix at the halfway stage of the season, but the arrival of Paul Hurst as manager led to another impressive run of form that ultimately saw them finish well clear of danger in 12th. Maguire was again key, hitting a fine vein of form after Hurst’s arrival in January, with highlights including having a hand in all 3 goals in a 3-3 draw with Southend (scoring one and setting up two for a certain Lenell John-Lewis), and claiming a first-half hat-trick of assists in a topsy-turvy 6-3 win at Scunthorpe. He ended the season on a hot streak, with 5 goals in his last 10 starts, and while Boston offered him a new contract it was expected that there would be interest from bigger clubs.

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Maguire’s arrival at York has not come completely out of leftfield - we even raised him as a potential signing in our end-of-season review pod - but he will face a good deal of competition for a starting place. He has almost certainly been recruited as an option for one of the two attacking midfield roles (the 10s or the 8s, depending who you ask), so will be jostling for a start with the likes of Banks, Pearce, Grey, Newby and Olley. While naturally right-footed, he is comfortable with both feet and his heat map from last season at Boston shows him popping up in a wide range of attacking positions.

The qualities Maguire will bring to York include an ability to make incisive passes in the final third, as well as a talent for delivering accurate crosses. This could be ideal for providing service to Josh Stones in the air, as Ollie Banks’ deliveries from the right did last season. He also offers energy and a high workrate, so should be able to make a contribution to City’s efforts to press the opposition high up the pitch. Lastly, Maguire will be hoping to chip in with a fair few goals - he is not afraid to shoot from distance and his goal return of 8 from just 25 starts last season reflects his confidence finishing chances.

Having not yet played a minute of football above non-league, the challenge for Maguire will be to show that he is capable of making the step up. But the potential he has shown at Boston, along with the fact that at 22 he should still be developing, gives cause for optimism that he could play a big part for City over the next few seasons.

1. Which former York player will be managing a national team at this year’s World Cup?

2. Which member of City’s 2011/12 promotion winning side was called up to his country’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia?

3. Which future YCFC manager started two games for his country at the 1986 World Cup, against Algeria and Spain?

4. Which former York loanee was named in his country’s squad for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but did not make an appearance in either competition?

5. Who scored for his country against Zaire at the 1974 World Cup, and would then go on to play for the Minstermen five years later?

6. Which former York player appeared in all of his country’s games at the 2010 World Cup, in which they remained undefeated?

7. Which future City manager was part of Alf Ramsey’s coaching staff for England in the build-up to the 1966 World Cup?

8. Which forward played in all of his country’s games at the 1998 World Cup, then later had a brief loan spell with the Minstermen in 2014?

9. Which goalkeeper, who would later become a goalkeeping coach at York, came within a fingertip of qualifying for the 1986 World Cup but failed to stop a late penalty in a qualification decider?

10. City have played competitive games at seven of the eight grounds used during the 1966 World Cup. Can you name them all?

Scroll down to find the answers…

ANSWERS

1. Graham Potter (Sweden)

2. James Meredith (Australia)

3. Nigel Worthington (Northern Ireland)

4. Nick Pope (England)

5. Peter Lorimer (Scotland)

6. Leo Bertos (New Zealand)

7. Wilf McGuinness

8. Deon Burton (Jamaica)

9. Neville Southall (Wales)

10. Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford, Goodison Park, Roker Park, Villa Park, Hillsborough Stadium, Ayresome Park (the one they never played at was White City Stadium)

• How did Stuart finally unlock the potential of the Pearce/Stones strike partnership?

• What was the points target he kept referencing that he thought would win the National League last season?

• What surprise did he get when he arrived at Spotland for the final day title decider, that forced a tactical rethink?

• How well prepared does he think our squad is for League Two, and where might we need to improve?

You can also watch a video of the interview if you prefer:

• How did Stuart finally unlock the potential of the Pearce/Stones strike partnership?

• What was the points target he kept referencing that he thought would win the National League last season?

• What surprise did he get when he arrived at Spotland for the final day title decider, that forced a tactical rethink?

• How well prepared does he think our squad is for League Two, and where might we need to improve?

A product of the Burton Albion youth system, Shelton had his first taste of senior football with East Midlands non-league sides Ilkeston Town and Alfreton Town, before moving to Salford City at the age of 20. It was at Salford that he experienced the first of several promotions: he was a first team regular as they won the National League North title, then the following season secured back-to-back promotions by progressing through the National League playoffs. While not a prolific goalscorer while at Salford, with 4 goals from 49 games, he did show a knack for the spectacular, scoring twice from direct free kicks and winning Salford’s goal of the season award in 2018/19 for a long-range strike against Boreham Wood.

Shelton found his game time limited in League Two, however, so had loan spells at Woking and Hartlepool before joining the Monkeyhangers on a permanent basis. He cemented his reputation as a promotion specialist by helping Hartlepool to promotion via the playoffs in 2021, scoring a penalty in the shootout as they defeated Torquay. This time, Shelton retained his place after promotion to League Two, going on to play for Pool over 100 times before departing for Oldham in January 2023.

His spell with the Latics was not a happy one, though. Shelton’s debut actually came in a 2-0 home win against York, and while he was a regular starter under David Unsworth, the Oldham fans failed to warm to him. After Unsworth was replaced by Micky Mellon as Latics manager early in the 2023/24 season, Shelton was quickly frozen out and wasn’t named in a single matchday squad between late November and the end of the season. Shelton has acknowledged just how difficult this period of his career was, stating in an interview with Radio York that he “had a tough year at Oldham” and “was pretty much down and out at one point”.

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Shelton’s contract with the club was terminated early by mutual consent after the season ended, and his next port of call was Barnet. His time at the Bees was in marked contrast to the struggles he faced at Oldham, as he quickly became a first team regular. He played a key role in their midfield alongside deep-lying playmaker Anthony Hartigan as Barnet won the National League with 102 points. Shelton chipped in with 12 goals (including 6 from the penalty spot), comfortably a career best tally, and scored their goal of the season with a first-time volley against Ebbsfleet.

Barnet manager Dean Brennan was full of praise for the impact Shelton made - in an interview on the Luke Walsh podcast, Brennan said: “Shelton’s done an amazing job with us…I nicknamed him Forrest Gump because he never stops running, I’ve never seen someone run so much in my life”. In his second season at the club, with Barnet now in League Two, Shelton was almost an ever-present in the starting line-up, and contributed a further 8 goals and 8 assists as the Bees finished just outside the playoffs.

Having now made the move to York, where might Shelton fit in to Stuart Maynard’s side? The most likely position would be as one of the two deeper-lying midfielders, where he would provide competition to Alex Hunt and Hiram Boateng. His profile is probably a little different to any other midfielders at the club, as he is neither a pure technician like Hunt nor a destroyer like Boateng whose strengths lie in breaking up play and winning second balls. Instead, Shelton might be best described as an old-fashioned box-to-box midfielder, with athleticism and a strong workrate allied to an ability to provide well-timed runs into the box and a decent attacking return.

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While Shelton mostly played for Barnet in a deeper midfield position, he could also provide an option in the attacking midfield roles in Maynard’s system, competing with the likes of Banks, Pearce, Olley, Newby and Grey for the two spaces behind the main striker. Although York are well-stocked in this area, Ollie Banks may need some rest and rotation, and with the exception of Pearce the other players from this list all found themselves mostly playing roles off the bench by the end of last season. Then again, there may be further signings to come who are more naturally suited to this position.

If he can replicate the form he showed at Barnet over the last couple of years, then Shelton should be capable of making a strong contribution to City’s first season back in the football league. There are perhaps parallels to be found with the signing of Mark Kitching last year (who Shelton shared a dressing room with previously at both Hartlepool and Oldham) - a player approaching 30 who may look a solid rather than spectacular addition initially. If Shelton can make a similar impact as Kitching did last season, then his signing could turn out to be a very smart bit of business.

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We’ve also put together an FAQ on what you can expect here:

Welcome to the new home of Same Old City. We’re very excited to embark on a new chapter in the life of the podcast, but you might be wondering what it all means, so we’ve put together a little FAQ.

Why a website?

We launched the Same Old City podcast three years ago in the summer of 2023, and much like City’s transfer business, we like to think we’ve learned a few things since then. We’ve been delighted to see that the pod has found an audience who share our love of YCFC, Office references and terrible puns. We’ve also been lucky that it’s coincided with a real upturn in the club’s fortunes, with success on the pitch matched by an expanding fanbase off the pitch (well, occasionally on the pitch when circumstances demand it in the 103rd minute).

But we want to go further. A football league club deserves football league coverage, and that’s what we want to provide. So, from the 2026/27 season, here on sameoldcity.com you’ll be able to find:

• Weekly podcasts (yes, weekly!) covering current goings-on at YCFC

• Regular written content about the club including:

  • match reports

  • previews

  • features

  • retro content on YCFC history

  • stats/tactical pieces for the nerds

And you’ll be able to subscribe for free to receive all this content straight to your inbox as soon as it comes out.

We’re also introducing Same Old City Ultras, a new paid subscription tier which will give you access to even more content including bonus podcasts and exclusive articles in exchange for a few quid a month, and help support what we do at Same Old City.

Can’t I just keep listening to the pod on my platform of choice?

Absolutely! The podcast will continue to be available in the same feed, in all the usual places (Spotify, Apple Podcasts etc). You can ignore the website if you want. But we don’t think you should - the site will be home not only to the podcast but to a whole range of content, allowing us to branch out into written content, video and more. We also hope it can become a home for the community of York City fans to discuss goings-on at the club, in a less toxic space than some social media platforms.

What’s this “Subscribe” button all about?

If any of this sounds up your street, you can subscribe to sameoldcity.com - doing this means you get all our content delivered to your inbox as soon as it’s live. Subscribing also means you’ll be able to take part in subscriber-only chats on here.

It’s free to subscribe, so give it a whirl and see if you enjoy the content - you can unsubscribe at any time if it turns out you think our content is more Josh Law than Josh Stones.

Same Old City Ultras? Who are they?

But there’s more! If you want to support our work at Same Old City and get access to even more content, we’re introducing Same Old City Ultras - a new paid subscription tier that lets you do just that. Joining Same Old City Ultras allows you to unlock:

• Two extra podcast episodes every month - these will include mailbag episodes discussing listener questions, interview episodes, retro deep dives and one-off specials.

• A weekly article exclusive to Same Old City Ultras members - these will range from opinion pieces to nerdy tactical stuff, retro content and more.

• The warm fuzzy feeling that you’re supporting what we do and encouraging us to do even more of it.

This membership tier will be launching in August in time for the start of the 2026/27 season, but you don’t need to wait until then to sign up - you can pledge a membership now and it will automatically kick in once the tier launches. Or if you’re on the fence, just subscribe for free now and see if you like the content we bring out over summer, as everything will be free until August.

What sort of bunce are we looking at?

There are a couple of payment options:

• £5/month if you choose a monthly subscription

• £30/year (which works out at £2.50/month) if you choose an annual subscription

Find out more at our Same Old City Ultras page.

Will there ever be a boy born who can swim faster than a shark?

That one we can’t answer. But if you’re still reading, hopefully you understand a bit more about our plans for this site and where we’re heading with Same Old City. We’d love you to join us on this crazy journey supporting a terrible football club who have, bizarrely, become not terrible all of a sudden.

Thanks for reading and keep the faith.

Timings:

00:00 Introduction, feedback on the "CHAMPIONS" episode

23:54 Month-by-month review of the 2025/26 season - key games, moments and turning points

1:12:36 Same Old City end of season awards - we reveal the winners

1:30:35 Looking ahead to the 2026/27 season - retained/released list, reflecting on departures of Batty and Male, transfer priorities for next season