By James Wyrill
Following the conclusion of the National League season last weekend, football fan and guest sports columnist James Wyrill looks back at the last 12-months for York City F.C. He discusses the progress the Minstermen have made over the past year, and looks ahead to City’s huge play-off semi-final next week.
After surviving relegation by one point last season, York City have massively improved in the 2024/25 campaign.
They made it to the FA Cup 1st round for the fourth season in a row, where they lost 3-2 away to League One side Wycombe Wanderers.
However, what’s made this season a huge success are York’s performances in the National League. The Minstermen are unbeaten in their last eight league games of the season, only drawing one game in that time to 5th in the table, Oldham Athletic.
This excellent run of form has meant York City have amassed 96 points this season, finishing 2nd in the National League, and earning them a spot in the semi-finals of the play-offs. They’re now one win away from the play-off final at Wembley Stadium. It’s the best chance York have had to return to the glamour of the EFL for more than a decade.
If they are to get to the play-off final on Sunday 1st June, they will have to beat the winner of Oldham Athletic vs FC Halifax Town.
Those two teams will play each other on Wednesday 14th May at Boundary Park in Oldham. Both sides struggled for form in the back end of the season.
They both only managed two wins and a draw from their last six games, awarding them seven points. In comparison, York City got five wins and one draw from their last six games — earning them 16 points and making them the most in form team in the National League.
When York played Oldham earlier this season, they won away 2-0 with goals from Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Ollie Pearce.
At home, the sides drew 1-1. Joe Felix gave York the lead after 31-minutes but Oldham equalised through Charlie Raglan in the 70th minute.
On both occasions that York played Halifax earlier on in the season away — drama was never far away.
When York played Halifax away from home in October, they found themselves 1-0 down going into injury time, when goals in the 90+1st and 90+6th minute from Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Ollie Pearce gave the Minstermen a remarkable win at the Shay Stadium.
However, when the teams met again on 22nd February at the LNER Community Stadium, Halifax raced to a 2-0 lead after three minutes but York got a goal back in the 15th minutes through Ollie Pearce from the spot. Then, in the 90+5th minute, Ashley Nathaniel-George got sent off for York with the score at 2-1 to Halifax. Despite the setback, 10-man York City still managed to find an equaliser through Callum Howe in the 10th minute of injury time to rescue an unlikely point for York from 2-0 down.
York’s play-off semi-final will be played at the LNER Community Stadium on Tuesday 20th May at 19:45. Tickets for York’s biggest game of the season go out for general sale at 12pm today and are predicted to sell out incredibly quickly. The club expect all 8,500 seats at the LNER Community Stadium to be sold out for the match.
If York can get through that match, they will play in the play-off final at Wembley against Forest Green Rovers, Rochdale or Southend United.
If York win the play-off final, they will make a return to the Football League next season. This would be the first time that York City had made it to the Football League since the 2015/16 season, a decade ago.
Player of the season
Joe Felix has been named York Clubman of the Year for the 2024/25 season. He join York City last May from Worthing FC.
At Worthing, in the 2023/24 season, he was managed by York’s current manager, Adam Hinshelwood. He’s a full-back who scored two goals and got seven assists in his 46 league games this season.
He slotted into York’s back line and helped them keep 8 clean sheets in their first 12 games of the season. He received the Billy Fenton Memorial Trophy before York’s final home game of the regular season against Solihull Moors.
The moment of the season has to be the incredible comeback victory away against FC Halifax Town with two goals in injury time to complete a crucial victory which put York top of the table at the time.
Head to https://yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk/match-tickets/ to buy a ticket for the semi-final before they all sell out!
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