THE YORK BRIEF - WEEKEND WRAP UP ⏰ April 25 - 26, 2026

Today, York holds its breath. Everything has come down to ninety minutes at Crown Oil Arena, Rochdale, 12:30pm - a point or win sends the Minstermen up as champions after a decade away from the Football League. The city hasn't been this united around a football result for a very long time. However it ends, this has been some season.

⚽ Sport - Title Day

⚽ "One of the biggest games in the English football pyramid" — Maynard's men head to Rochdale with the title in their hands - York City manager Stuart Maynard has described today's final-day showdown at Rochdale's Crown Oil Arena as "one of the biggest games in the English football pyramid." The Minstermen travel to Spotland holding a two-point lead over their hosts in the National League - meaning a draw or a win secures both the title and automatic promotion back to the Football League for the first time since 2016. Rochdale need all three points to leapfrog York and take the championship themselves.

Both sides have broken 100 points in what has been the tightest title race in the division's history - only the second time in four seasons that two clubs have reached that milestone. Last weekend, York were seconds away from being confirmed champions after their 3-0 win over Yeovil, only for Rochdale striker Mani Dieseruvwe to score a dramatic 99th-minute winner at Braintree.

York top striker Ollie Pearce has scored 34 goals this season - the division's leading total. Around 1,500 City supporters have tickets for Spotland, with the ground sold out. The LNER Community Stadium big screen screening is also sold out. TransPennine Express has added special stops at Rochdale on services departing York at 7:17am, 8:19am, 9:20am and 10:20am to Manchester Victoria. York Press | York Press — trains