It has been a whirlwind of a month for York City as they enter a new era. I think many City fans would agree that a dark cloud has been lifted from over the LNER Community Stadium. The hybrid partnership of sporting businessman, Glen Henderson and the York City Supporters Trust feels like a real breath of fresh air. They are already getting to work to make sure our club is the best that it can be. All I can say is that all is feeling positive with fans all pulling in the same direction – the sort of momentum that can make a club a force to be reckoned with – and hopefully, that takes us into a new season back in the National League, full of belief that we can cause an upset. As well as the takeover, we have seen fixtures released as we kick off the new season at home to Woking with a squad that feels like it has been well put together by the manager, John Askey, and hopefully improved the areas that lacked in the season just gone.
There has been a raft of new signings since I last wrote this column but some of the standouts that we have seen in pre-season have been Manny Duku and Alex Hurst. They have caused teams lots of problems and look like they will be two creative assets and goal scorers. Duku and Hurst will certainly add to some of the key players that we have managed to keep hold of for this coming season, with the likes of Maz Kouyhar who just puts you at ease every time he is on the ball. There will be competition all over the pitch with the coming season and the five youth players being offered pro deals. It all feels like we are going in a great direction but as always, I’m sure I am not alone in having a feeling of scepticism too. We support York City after all and we have to be on our toes!
Sticking with football too, it has not only been the men that have started up well but the Ladies too. They have begun pre-season themselves and they too have been strengthening their squad and getting their foundations sorted for their new season. With this new era hopefully, we will see more games for them played at the LNER Community Stadium. We have all seen yet again the success of women’s football with the current Euro 2022 campaign being played right here on our doorstep and its rise continues. It feels right that they have the chance to play there too over the coming season and years ahead.
Switching to rugby league, York City Knights are still challenging at the top end of the Championship. During the last few years that the Knights have been in the division, they have certainly managed to make a name for themselves and hold their own. Hopefully, they can continue to stay within reach as they continue to push for the dream promotion of having the chance to play in the Super League. Who would have thought that there would be so much positivity surrounding our sporting teams in the city! It almost feels like both clubs now have owners who believe in the real potential the fans have always seen to seriously grow into clubs we can be proud of and see them challenge higher up the leagues. Fingers crossed!
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