Capital gains

His bosses at Setanta have told him to commentate on some piffling Premiership game between West Ham and Liverpool. So he will miss the match of the year, York City against Stevenage Borough in the FA Trophy Final.

“At least the West Ham game doesn’t start until 5.30pm”, he says resignedly. So while he has to be at Upton Park for about 1pm, he’ll be able to watch the City game on the Setanta feed. “I will be doing my very best to cheer them on,” the Harrogate-born City fan said. The game should end at about 3.50pm, barring a draw and penalties. He doesn’t think that will happen. “York will be lifting the trophy by 4pm.”

He’s that optimistic? “I'm more optimistic now than I was two weeks ago. I feared for York’s Blue Square Premier future. Then they had those three consecutive wins. It was a pretty awful season in the league – but this is the silver lining.”

Jon, a former Radio York reporter who has been a City fan for years and is one of the club’s most high-profile supporters, believes the team have an excellent chance. Stevenage are bound to be affected by losing in the Blue Square play-offs and so missing out on promotion to the Football League.

The key thing is that the City players don’t allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the occasion, he says. “The new Wembley is a fantastic venue, with a great atmosphere. But it can be intimidating. The sheer size of the place is imposing. The stands seem to go up into the north London skies forever. So they have to go out and play the opponents, not the stadium.”

Win or lose, the team is in for a great experience, he says. The moment the team bus approaches the stadium will be a huge thrill.

Then there will be the moment they enter through the tunnel. “They will feel like kings for the day. I hope they play like kings for the day!”

One well-known York City fan who won’t be at Wembley for the game tomorrow is the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, the club’s patron.

He has a long-standing commitment to attend a conference in Toronto. But he will join the team at their hotel tonight, and will see them off on the coach to Wembley tomorrow morning before catching his flight.

“I’m totally gutted that I won’t be at Wembley,” Dr Sentamu said. “I’ll never forget celebrating on the pitch with the players at KitKat Crescent after the second leg of the semi-final.

“But I’ll be sure to shout a ‘Come on City! Come on you Minstermen!’ as my plane flies over London during the second half of the match.”

One person who will be at Wembley tomorrow is former Press feature writer turned freelance journalist and PR consultant Robert Beaumont.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” the long-term City fan said. He predicts a 2-1 win for the Minstermen, with Richard Brodie to score the winner – though it has to be said he doesn't sound overly confident about the prediction.

They have had a pretty terrible season, he admits. He has been to every home game. “And I come back, after they have played appallingly badly, and my wife says ‘most men have hobbies that they enjoy. Yours seems to make you miserable’.”

Robert has followed the Minstermen since 1971, when he first went to see them play as a 16-year-old and they beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in the third round of the FA Cup. “That was the start of my love affair, or addiction, whichever way you want to look at it.”

There were a couple of great years not long after, in which City played for two seasons in the old Second Division, with regular games against clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa. In recent years, he admits, there have been more downs than ups. But that’s part of the joy of supporting a local club. Every few years or so, along comes a fantastic treat.

“There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a terrible season,” Robert said. “But I now have the chance to cheer my heroes on at the new Wembley. That’s the joy of sport. It’s just extraordinary.”