United are back on the road this weekend as they head to the LNER Community Stadium to face York City.
Who’s the Boss?
John Askey was originally brought in at York in a support role for then manager Steve Watson in November 2021, although this arrangement only lasted one game when Watson was sacked. Askey took over the role on a temporary basis before being appointed in the permanent position in March 2022, leading the team to a fifth placed finish and a play-off place. Wins over Chorley and Brackley Town took the Minstermen to the Final, where they beat Boston United 2-0 to gain promotion back to the National League after a six year absence.
Prior to his time at York, Askey played over 650 league & cup games for Macclesfield and scored over 150 goals in 19 years at the club between 1984 & 2003, before embarking on a managerial career that has seen him at Macclesfield(twice), Shrewsbury and Port Vale.
How have they been doing?
York’s National League campaign has begun very well with their opening 12 games bringing five wins, three draws and four defeats, leaving them currently in 9th position on 18 points and only two points outside the play off places coming into this game. Notable results so far have included a 1-1 draw away at Solihull, a 2-1 win at home to Bromley and a 5-0 away win at Barnet last weekend, although they did slip to a 1-0 defeat at FC Halifax on Tuesday evening.
Player to watch
Lenell John-Lewis is the York City Captain and current top scorer with six goals from the 11 games he has played so far this season, with two of those goals coming in last weekends 5-0 win at Barnet. The 33 year old began his career at Grantham Town in 2006 before he got a move to Lincoln City who were in League Two at that time. The striker has also seen his time being spent at Bury, Grimsby Town, Newport County, Shrewsbury Town, Hereford and then a return to Grimsby Town. He was loaned to York City in February 2022, a move that was made permanent upon his release from the Mariners in the summer.
Played for both
Manny Duku spent six months here at Plainmoor in 2019 making 15 appearances in that time, having previously played for such clubs like Barnet, Cheltenham Town @ Hayes & Yeading United where he had his best return in a season scoring 33 goals in 39 games. Since leaving United Duku has had spells in Scotland at Raith Rovers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, before returning to England at Havent & Waterlooville and York City who he joined this Summer after their promotion to the National League. In four appearances so far for the Minstermen the Dutch striker has scored one goal.
Head To Head
Tomorrow will be United’s first ever visit to the LNER Community Stadium, which York City moved into in 2021 following previously being at Bootham Crescent. The stadium has 8.500 seats and adjoining the stadium is the leisure complex, which includes a 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool, a sports hall for netball, badminton and basketball, a gym with dance and spinning studios, an adventure sports zone and three 2G five-a-side pitches.
The Gulls haven’t faced the Minstermen since December 2016, when a 0-0 draw was played out at York’s previous ground and was the season that saw York slip out of the National League and into the National League North, where they have played until last seasons promotion through the play-offs.
This will be the 49th meeting between the two clubs with only two of those meetings coming outside of the Football League, those being in the National League in the 2016/17 season. That was when United recorded their last win in a 2-0 victory at Plainmoor, with two goals from Nathan Blissett. York’s last win was in the 2013/14 League Two season at Bootham Crescent, when a Will Hayhurst goal was enough to give them the victory. The current Head to Head reads:
Torquay Wins – 14
Draws – 18
York Wins – 16