York City completed their great escape with a 1-0 win at Dagenhem & Redbridge, which sealed their League Two safety and sent Barnet down.
The Minstermen ended their season in emphatic fashion with four victories in five April games. Nigel Worthington’s side took 13 points from a possible 15 to pull clear of the drop zone, winning on the last day of the season to climb to 17th in the final table. They were second in the League Two form table after Saturday’s encounter.
To Worthington’s right in the Victoria Road stadium the away supporters erupted. Those with radios pressed against their ears, aware Northampton were cruising against Barnet, bounced beneath the sweltering sky to mark their club’s recovery, something that had appeared almost impossible a month ago.
“I’m pleased, relieved and delighted for the football club and supporters,” said Worthington. “There’s been a lot of work gone in over the course of the 10 games that I’ve been here by everybody at the football club and they’ve got their just rewards.”
It was an incredible season that ebbed and flowed like the Atlantic on a particularly stormy day. A 4-1 win over Bristol Rovers just before Christmas saw York only four points off the playoffs and a mighty 12 above the relegation zone, with just over half the season to go.
But a sixteen-game winless run after New Years’ Day left the Minstermen staring at relegation back to the Blue Square Bet Premier, when they slipped into the bottom two late last month.
Gary Mills was sacked in an attempt to steady the heavily-rocking ship, but former Northern-Ireland manager Nigel Worthington got off to a terrible start with two points in his first five games. It looked to be a torrid 2013 for York who, going into their last five matches, needed a miracle.
Yet they got it. A win over fellow strugglers Plymouth and victory at promotion hopefuls Northampton sandwiched a draw with Accrington, before York dismantled both Southend and Dagenham, gaining maximum points. It proved to be an outstanding April for the Minstermen who finished five places above the bottom two and just a couple of wins away from the top half.
It means City will be competing in English football’s fourth tier once again, after finding themselves stuck in non-league from 2004 up until last May.
Before they secured promotion at Wembley a year ago, supporters were clinging on to the memories of a 3-0 League Cup win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1996, after which United went on to complete the Premier League and FA Cup double that season. It was a rare highlight in York’s rather low-key past, with the Minstermen spending the overwhelming majority of their history in the lower divisions.
But an FA Trophy win and promotion within the space of a week was the perfect platform for York to embark on a brand new League Two adventure.
It began with a 3-0 triumph over Sunderland in a pre-season friendly and ended with safety and an internationally respected manager at the helm. Times look good for City and if they can pick up where they left off next season, North Yorkshire might well be in for an absolute treat.
Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, joined the action on Saturday, tweeting: “Well done to York City! 1-0 win! We are Football League! Fantastic achievement after a long hard season of football.”
And fans can celebrate a truly remarkable two years with City’s dramatic survival battle culminating in an afternoon of pure elation at the weekend.