City's second away game of the week takes them to Gresty Road for a first league meeting with Crewe Alexandra in almost three decades. The Minstermen will be looking to bounce back from a first league defeat of the season, but face tough opposition in the Railwaymen who are still unbeaten in the league. Who are Crewe’s players to watch and how might they set up for the encounter?
We’ve met before…
York and Crewe have been regular opponents over the years, with 93 meetings in total, but they haven’t shared a league since thirty years ago when both were members of the third tier in 1996/97. The most recent meeting came at Bootham Crescent in an memorable FA Cup 1st Round tie that finished 3-2 to York in the 2009/10 season. That game, which Same Old City covered in detail in a special podcast episode a few years back, saw City overturn a 2-1 deficit with late goals from Richard Brodie and Richard Pacquette to defeat a Crewe side then playing a league higher. Prior to that, a League Cup 1st Round meeting at Bootham Crescent in 2001/02 ended 2-2 after goals from Lee Bullock and Chris Brass, but the visitors progressed on penalties.
Retro Rewind - York City 3-2 Crewe Alexandra (FA Cup 1st Round, 2009)
We look back on a classic FA Cup 1st Round game from Bootham Crescent, where City came from behind to steal a 3-2 win thanks to late goals from Richard Pacquette and Richard Brodie.
What to expect from Crewe
Crewe have made an excellent start to the League Two season, with two wins and two draws from their first four league games. This fine form has largely been built on having the league’s meanest defence, as the two goals they conceded in the 2-2 draw with Walsall in midweek are the only times their goal has been breached so far this season. Their strong start is even more impressive considering they have one of the lowest budgets in the league, lost several key players over summer and were only able to bring in three permanent additions to their squad.
Predicting how Crewe will set up is not a straightforward task, as their manager Lee Bell often switches formation and personnel. He has most commonly set them up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but is unafraid to use different systems when needed. In Tuesday’s draw with Walsall, for instance, Crewe started out with a narrow 4-4-2 but halfway through the second period switched to three at the back as they chased the game. Bell prioritises building a solid defensive base, but otherwise his side tends to try and keep the ball on the ground rather than playing direct.
Crewe’s first choice goalkeeper so far this season has been 21-year-old academy product Tom Booth. Last season, the more experienced Ian Lawlor was ahead of Booth in the pecking order, but Lawlor missed the start of this season with a hernia problem and despite returning to the matchday squad for the last two games has been unable to dislodge Booth as yet.
Assuming Bell continues to set his side up with a back four, the choices for both full-back positions should be fairly straightforward. At right-back, Lewis Billington should start: the highly-rated academy product was an ever-present last season and committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year deal recently. The left-back spot will be taken by Reece Hutchinson, who showed his propensity to get involved at the top end of the pitch when he volleyed in a late equaliser against Walsall on Tuesday.
The starting centre-backs are a little harder to predict. 20-year-old Josh Stephenson is likely to take one of the centre-back roles, having impressed since joining on loan from Brentford last month. Alongside him could be the veteran and club captain Mickey Demetriou, who is the current League Two player with the most career appearances in the division (446). At 36, Demetriou has his minutes managed by Crewe, but having been left on the bench midweek should be available to start against York if needed.
Whether he starts may depend on what Bell decides to do with Luke Offord, who has quickly established himself as a key first-team player after rejoining the club from MK Dons this summer. Offord, who played under Scott Lindsey at MK, has spent much of his career at centre-back, but Bell has also used him as a holding midfielder at times. He is a near-certainty to start, but where on the pitch he plays is less certain. Another player known to York head coach Lindsey from his time in charge of MK Dons is Joe White, who joined Crewe this summer and is another contender to start in midfield. One place in midfield should be taken by Matús Holícek, another Crewe academy product who has appeared for Slovakia at youth level and, at 21, is tipped for a bright future in the game.
In the attacking midfield positions, Crewe have a range of options. Joel Tabiner has started the last three games and can play in various positions, but the club may be wary of handing him a third start in eight days, as he has only recently returned to action after missing the whole of last season with a knee injury. Jack Lankester is an option on the right wing or in the middle: having struggled for playing time last season, he has forced himself back into the first-team picture and will be hoping for a return to the form that saw him score 7 goals in 2024/25. On the left, Jordan Gibson arrived in the summer from Doncaster Rovers and can offer a threat with his dribbling, while Welsh youngster Calum Agius is another option who could be used either out wide or centrally.
At centre-forward, Josh March is Crewe’s first choice: the former Harrogate man offers industry off the ball but also goal threat, having already found the net three times in four league appearances this season. Another forward option is Charlie McNeill, who joined recently on loan from Sheffield Wednesday and started alongside March up front on Tuesday night but could also be used a little further back. Young Irish striker Adrien Thibaut started the recent League Cup tie at Barnsley and got on the scoresheet so could be in contention, but is most likely to be used as an impact substitute.
York team news
None of the six City players currently missing through injury are expected to recover in time for the trip to Gresty Road, though some are reportedly nearing a return. Jack Hunt and Dipo Akinyemi are closest to being available for selection, while Josh Stones and Zak Johnson may be back by late September. Hiram Boateng is still furthest from returning to action, and Frankie Maguire has suffered a setback while recovering from plantar fasciitis and may be out for longer than initially expected.
City head coach Scott Lindsey reported that there are no fresh injury concerns for York, but added that he was considering resting “one or two” players depending on how they recovered from Tuesday night’s defeat at Cheltenham. While it’s difficult to know which players are most likely to be rested, Lindsey’s choice of substitutions could give some clues. Alex Hunt has been taken off before the 70 minute mark in all four league games so far, so could be a candidate for rotation, with Arthur Read the most likely replacement. Another possibility is that Joe Felix, who has been substituted in the last three games, could be rested in favour of Jeff King. Up front, Jovan Malcolm came off the bench against Cheltenham to head his second goal in as many games so may be in contention to start, but Ollie Pearce also got off the mark on Tuesday night so will expect to retain his place.
