YORK City will not underestimate newly-promoted Tamworth in their competitive return to the LNER Community Stadium.

Manager Adam Hinshelwood has assured supporters that his side will show no complacency after a battling 1-1 draw with Southend United last weekend, believing that York have set the standard moving forward.

Hinshelwood was very complimentary of the rise of Tamworth, who have gained back-to-back promotions to reach the Vanarama National League, despite their part-time status.

An impressive 1-1 draw with relegated Sutton United saw the Lambs level on points with City heading into matchday two, with Hinshelwood keen to not underestimate the league newcomers.

The boss hopes that the factor of the LNER Community Stadium can prove to be intimidating to the visitors, saying: “They’ve worked extremely hard to get into this league, and I know that when you come to a stadium like this, it does fill you with confidence.

“They’ve worked hard in the last couple of seasons to come and play at a venue like this, and I know that they will be rife here, their players will be in awe and it ups their game by ten per cent because of the place that they are playing in.


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“We’ve got to be aware of that this season, and our intensity is really important. We want to try and maintain our standards in possession, but the out-of-possession stuff is going to be invaluable for us.

“They get the ball from back to front very quickly, they’re very good at set-pieces and will have a long throw to come into our box.

“We’ve got to defend our box well. They’ll come and almost feel like they have nothing to lose coming into this game. I’m sure that they will try to heighten the pressure of us being at home, it’s that element of nothing to lose-type mentality for them.

“They’ve worked really hard to get here and we’ve got to really respect them tomorrow. It’s two different styles going at it, but a style that has served them really well.

“I pay full respect to the opposition but focus very heavily on what we can do.

“Each game is a different test. They’ll be used to winning games of football and have a real togetherness because of that, so they will come out with no fear and will relish coming to play in a stadium like this.

“We’ve got to be at it, we’ve got to match their intensity for sure and be prepared for what they throw at us.

“At the same time, we’ve got to go and stamp our authority on the game.”

Hinshelwood expects a different sort of test and a different style of play to face compared to Southend, and is keen to let his side start afresh from the result with the Shrimpers.

“They’re all different challenges, each game is going to possess a different one.

“With that in mind, you’ve got to almost forget about the last performance and be ready to go again. That is the message, we can’t get too carried away as we have set a good standard.

“Ultimately we’ve only got one point on the board and will do all that we can to try and improve on that on Saturday, but I’m sure that Tamworth will try to as well.”

The City boss is relishing a return to home soil, and is keen for supporters to help make the LNER Community Stadium a fortress for the 2024/25 campaign.

He told The Press: “We don’t put that pressure on ourselves just because it’s the first home game.

“We put that pressure on myself or the players anytime we turn up here really. I think that’s part of being a York manager and a York player to want to play and want to perform every time you’re in front of the home fans.

“It would be nice to show them a little bit of what we can do, and hopefully they enjoy what they see and want to come back.

“We can start generating a bit of a buzz around the City.

“It’s so important [that the LNER Community Stadium is a fortress]. I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’m looking forward to performing in York again. It was tough when we first came in to be honest but towards the end of the season we really enjoyed the crowd and the crowd getting behind us.

“It’s so important for any team to do anything, we want good home form and we’ve got to start this season well.”