2026/7
TO UPDATE
*** THIS PAGE IS WORK IN PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. THE FINAL ISSUE WILL BE SUMMER 2027. UNTIL THEN, SOME CONTENT / SECTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR WILL REFERENCE PREVIOUS SEASONS ***
Season - Preview (wip)
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Season Tickets
Season Tickets On March 30, 2026/7 season ticket prices were announced, all showed an increase with an earlier early bird cut off (May 1). On April 2, City announced details of 2026/7 season ticket prices. On April 30, the early bird discount was extended to May 4
TO DO TO DO TO DO Kit: Pre-season, City announced 3 new kits for the season, in red, blue and black, they all came with familiar runes in the design and were launched at iconic sites around York.
OPEN DAY?
Geography Once again, the National League will have a strong southern basis. For City, there are 11 (including Southend) southern based opponents in an area broadly defined as the M25 and westwards, 3 opponents are midlands based and 9 (excluding Oldham) are northern based. For City, Truro is only new club and new ground. That game involves a journey of 306 miles as the crow flies or 399 miles by road, City's longest ever journey for a competitive fixture. For Truro, their longest is to Gateshead (451 miles) with other long trips to Hartlepool and Carlisle. Even their "local derby" at Yeovil involves a 280 mile round trip. League newcomers are Carlisle, Morecambe, Brackley Town, Scunthorpe United, Truro City and Boreham Wood whilst the league loses Maidstone, Dagenham & Redbridge, AFC Fylde and Ebbsfleet through relegation and Barnet and Oldham / Southend through promotion. City are set to travel about 7,838 miles in the 2025/6 National League campaign, up from last season, but less than the 7,908 miles during the 2022/3 campaign.
Matt Uggla's "annual statement" Speaking on York Hospital Ball. (May 2026), Matt Uggla indicated a more measured approach to City's progression and having learned lessons from his early days.
Form Guide A new division brings new teams and new challenges, however as with every league, there are a few real contenders and a lot of dross with many teams able to beat any other team on their day. League 2 brings squad cost management protocol (aka PSR and FFP) and much more central funding. In League 2, TV money is worth about £1.2m (£12m in the Championship and £1.8m in League 1) plus other central funding making approaching £2m a year distributed to every League 2 club. In the scheme of things, TV apearance money (big cup games excluded) is minimal and prize money is non existent. On the pitch success will drive bigeer gates and maybe more TV opportunities. The higher up the pyramid, the easier it is for a club to find its own sponsorship. Conversely, the higher up the pyramid, the bigger the outgoings.
Well, this is a difficult one after previewing National League seasons for several years. Whilst familiar names, it is many years since we played many of them.
In League 2, each club comes with plenty of central funding and “proper” professional set ups, some more so than others. Like in many leagues, a far few clubs will start the season with a new manager, others will start the season with virtually a whole new team. Anecdotally, League 2 sides are bigger and the football more physical than National League. It all adds to the complexity of predicting the outcome.
Even the bookmakers are struggling to agree on a favourite. Across the different odds provider, you could get at least 10/1 on any team, slightly more on most if you looked across the markets, whilst the shortest odds were 17/2 offered by one bookie on Chesterfield. The shorter odds were available on last season’s play off sides, teams with good late season form and a couple of last season’s relegated clubs. City were generally priced just off the pace at 11/1 or 12/1.
Going up with City, Rochdale, might struggle around lower mid table, more so since Jim McNulty left, despite their funding, it could be said they were punching above their weight last season and might be in a for a long season.
Last season, about one third of the division circled around the drop zone. Expect them (Accrington Stanley, Gillingham, Cheltenham, Shrewsbury, Newport, Tranmere and Crawley) to be down there again. Fleetwood, another non traditional Football League side may well join them in the dogfight to avoid the trap door. Of those, Shrewsbury might do best, expect to see a second season back in League 2 improvement from them whilst Gillingham always threaten big things but generally fail to deliver. Cheltenham and Newport might be in the biggest danger and joining them in the drop zone might be relegated Exeter, fan owned, the club seems to be in a desperate ongoing financial struggle. Losing established manager Gary Caldwell in March, If anyone is to follow Carlisle and Morecambe as experiencing successive relegations to find themselves in the National League it is Exeter.
None of the other 3 relegated clubs (Port Vale, Rotherham and Northampton) will find it easier under new management teams, top half is the best they can hope for.
From the teams who hoped to replace them in League 1, Chesterfield and Grimsby seem best placed to have a good season whilst Salford’s star seems to be on the wane.
Grimsby after a couple of good seasons always seem to get their recruitment spot on so might be best placed to top the table come the end of the season. Whisper it quietly, but Barnet seem to be a steady club might improve considerably on last season’s finish just outside the play off spots (as long as they don't lose too many of last season's side).
I’ll group Oldham, Walsall, Bristol Rovers and Swindon together. All are “proper FL sides” who will want to improve on last season’s finish. A year ago, on the basis of a strong finish to the 2024/5 season, Swindon, under Ian Holloway were a top tip for promotion, but never really challenged, I can only see them regressing this time and Bristol Rovers under Steve Evans, share a similar profile (and suffer the same fate). Walsall and Oldham might be in for more mid season mediocrity.
Crewe are another mid table side whilst who knows what might happen at Colchester. Talk of a takeover seems to have gone quiet but with the Cowley brothers in charge they might be contenders.
As I write this in the first week in June, it is still over 12 months before the start of the season. That leaves plenty of time for new signings and outgoings to make a difference. Any side that losses a star player might struggle whilst any side that recruits well, especially in the loan market, might get a boost.
The Squad (wip)
Recruitment: Off The Line Blog - an outside view
TO DO Mark Shelton https://www.sameoldcity.com/p/forrest-gump-with-added-goals-who
Back line upheaval
City returned for pre-season training on June xx, xxxx
By August xxth, the eve of the season, City had xx contracted professionals, including x out on loan, either for a full or half season.
It is believed that City got most of their summer targets .... Detail them ....
Key dates:
Friendlies:
Season - Review (WIP, plus everything else from here) x
x
XXXX FROM HERE
The season, so far, so good:
Words:
Sadly as ever, during the season, City lost a number of well known personalities, including former managers xxx (xx/xx/2024) and xxxt (dd/mmm/2024), former players xxxxxx xxxx (30/Jul/2025), xxx xxxx (17/Oct/2025), xxxx x (31/Oct/2025)), yyyyy (dd/mm/20yy) and player (dd/mmm/yyyy) and supporters (xxxx xxxx (05/Jul/2025), xxx xxxxxxxx (23/Oct/25), xxxxxxxx xxxxxx (19/Sep/25), xxx xxxxxxxx (23/Oct/25), xxxxx xxxxxxx (14/Nov/25), xxxxxx xxx (2025, VP), xxxx xxx (05/Jan/26), xxx xxxx (11/Jan/26), xxxx xxs (21/Feb/26))
and
and xxxxxx xxxx (dd/mmm/yy)).
and xxxxxx xxxx (dd/mmm/yy)).
and xxxxxx xxxx (dd/mmm/yy)).
On the club and commercial front:
Elsewhere:
Season - Game By Game (WIP)
TO DO UPDATE TO UPDATE Some useful links to the season (and beyond):
UPDATE League Attendances
TO UPDATE
Date Opponents Competition City Home Highest 7,918 OLDHAM 21/04/25 City Home Lowest 4,494 BRAINTREE 10/09/24 City Home Aggregate 139,167 6.2% away team fans City Home Average 6,050 - Best LNER away following 1,453 OLDHAM 21/04/25 Lowest LNER away following 41 BRAINTREE 10/09/24 City Away Highest 8,234 Oldham 21/01/25 City Away Lowest 1,075 Maidenhead 25/02/25 City Away Aggregate 67,511 23.1% City fans City Away Average 702 - Best City away following 2,225 FC Halifax 26/10/24 Lowest City away following 272 Maidenhead 25/02/25 Awards and cards
City players missed x games through suspension:
For The Record (WIP) After breaking a number of records last season, the 2025/6 season got off to a record breaking start ....
2026/7 - The Players (Mid Season Report (To Complete At End Season) (WIP)) Away On Loan (wip)
TO DO YCFC Loan Watch:
UPDATE Retained List (wip) It is believed that all the loanee professionals will be out of contract at the end of the 2026/7 season.
UPDATE Agents' Fees (wip, 2025/6 below)
TO UPDATE February (and the closure of the transfer window) has traditionally seen clubs' spending on agents' fees over the past 12 months published. In 2026, they were published on April 2. See The FA website for full details, including total spend by every club and players involved (although not fees by individual player).
The non league clubs who spent the most in agent fees in the year to February 2nd 2026 were:
In total, 45 non league clubs spent £1,174,550 on agents’ fees.
City’s spend is up on the £109,596 from a year earlier.
For City, 13 separate player transactions are noted, they are all 8 summer signings, 3 autumn contract extensions, an updated contract (Jeff King) and January signing Morgan Williams.
Across non league, Forest Green (20), Hartlepool (20) and Morecambe (19) made the most agent payments, in total, 11 clubs made more transactions than City. That is possibly down to City’s relative lack of signings when compared to some others who built a whole new squad. Of those other clubs, City’s average transaction fee was over £13,000, the most of this group. Lee Philpott (3) and Scott James Dutton (2) were the only agents who represented more than one City player.
Wealdstone (as a season earlier) and Brackley were the only National League clubs to spend no money on agent fees.
For comparative purposes:
UPDATE YCFC Academy (wip - 2026/7 - complete update required)
Once again, for the 2025/6 season, City competed in the National League Football Alliance North Division (Under 19) alongside 11 other National League and National League North teams (AFC Fylde, Altrincham, Blyth Spartans, Boston United, Chester, FC Halifax Town, Gateshead, Guiseley, Hartlepool, Solihull Moors and South Shields). Promoted Oldham and Farsley Celtic were missing from last season whilst Hartlepool joined, 2 seasons after losing their Football League status.
15 sides competed in the southern equivalent (3 newcomers ( Dagenham & Redbridge, Sutton and Wealdstone) plus Aldershot Town, Boreham Wood, Dorking, Dover, Eastleigh, Maidenhead, Maidstone, Oxford City, Slough, Southend, Welling and Woking). Dartford dropped out.
City's National League status means that the Under 18 side are exempt from 2 rounds (Preliminary and 1st Qualifying) of the FA Youth Cup. They'll join the competition in early October. Beyond the Under 19 / 18 side, City run a whole series of age group teams.
TO DO: City's 2024/5 academy players' profiles.
TO DO: Home league fixtures were played at City's Wiggington Road training ground (YO32 2RB), usually on a Wednesday afternoon with an early kick off (usually 1pm)) to finish in daylight. Home FA Youth Cup and National League Alliance Cup games are due to be played at the LNER Community Stadium (or another designated home ground). In practice, the home FA Youth Cup tie was played at Selby and home Alliance Cup games at the training ground.
Amid ever rising costs (and diminishing returns), it is good to see that City still run an academy. In May 2025, Accrington Stanley closed their academy, making 11 full time and 15 casual staff redundant, after chairman Andy Holt significantly reduced his annual input into the club’s running costs. EFL EPPP funding of around £500,000 will barely have covered those staff wages. Recognised as one the most productive EFL academies, Stanley had at least one academy developed player in every first team matchday squad and 2 or more in 85% of the squads during the 2023/4 season.
However, last season (2024/5), for the second successive season, City's academy fared worse than the previous season in all 3 competitions. With the development squad on hold for another season, the gulf between academy and first team seems bigger than ever.
Further Reading: National League Under-19 Alliance website.
Watch all the season's highlights.
2025/6 National League Youth Alliance
Date |
Competition |
Opponents |
Venue |
Result |
Scorers (and notes) |
03/09/25 |
NLFAU19N |
BOSTON UNITED |
H (Training Ground) |
3-2 |
Day 2, Greening |
10/09/25 |
NLFAU19N |
South Shields |
A (Leisure United Downhill (Sunderland)) |
3-2 |
Day, OG, Roberts |
17/09/25 |
NLFAU19N |
HARTLEPOOL UNITED |
H (Training Ground) |
0-2 |
- |
24/09/25 |
NLFAU19N |
FC HALIFAX TOWN |
H (Training Ground) |
1-3 |
Greening |
02/10/25 |
FAYC Q2 |
Bradford PA |
HA (Horsfall Stadium) |
6-0 |
Greening 3 (1p), Campbell, Kettlewell, Hewson |
16/10/25 |
FAYC Q3 |
BORO RANGERS |
H (Mill Lane, Pickering) |
5-2 |
Kydd 2, Farrar 2, Hewson |
22/10/25 |
NLFAU19N |
GUISELEY |
H (Training Ground) |
0-2 |
- |
UPDATE: It was a largely disappointing season for the academy team. In terms of performance, overall 2024/5 was, once again, possibly less successful when compared to the previous season's successes. In both the FA Youth Cup and National League Youth Alliance Cup, City failed by one round to go as far as last season. The team exited the FA Youth Cup in their first game and lost in the Alliance League Cup northern semi final. In the league, City's 5th place finish was a place below last season’s finish ending with just one point from the last 6 games. Both of the 2024 scholars who were awarded their first professional contracts last summer, Bill Marshall and Leon Gibson-Booth were released by the end of the year.
First year scholars Ben Farrar and Eddie Kettlewell both scored well without being prolific across the whole season. Captain George Grumley moved between centre back and defensive midfield and made a brief cameo first team debut at Oldham in January, making his mark with a fine crunching, but fair, tackle.
Beyond Grumley, it is difficult to see which second year scholars might warrant a professional contract. That is disappointing in light of City introducing a development squad for next season. XXXX
Throughout the season, Benji Tate, a year 2 right back scholar was the only player to have a loan spell in "mens' football", 2 months at Bishop Auckland (NPL Division 1 East (Step 8)) in the autumn, unfortunately, his game time was extremely limited.
The age old question remains. When will we see our youth products in our first team?
North Riding Senior Cup (TO DO 25/6 below)
Pre Season Friendlies - TO DO 25/6 BELOW