York City beat the drop despite suffering Solihull defeat

York have beaten relegation to remain in the fifth tier for the 2024/25 season, despite falling to a 1-0 defeat to play-off bound Solihull Moors on the final day.

A turbulent season which has seen three different managers, over 20 new signings and attendances broken at the LNER Community Stadium wrapped up this afternoon, with City securing their National League status for another year.

Adam Hinshelwood’s side failed to wobble Solihull, with Jack Stevens netting a thunderous late winner to put the Moors ahead, but a 0-0 draw between Boreham Wood and Ebbsfleet United means that Boreham Wood have joined Oxford City, Dorking Wanderers and Kidderminster Harriers in suffering relegation.

Elsewhere, the play-off spots were decided with Barnet, Bromley, Altrincham, Solihull Moors, Gateshead and FC Halifax Town making up the top seven, whilst Chesterfield ended their championship winning campaign with a 3-2 triumph over Maidenhead United.

Hinshelwood and his staff will now look ahead to next season, with almost half of the crowd at the ARMCO Arena being made up of travelling York supporters.

Hinshelwood made two changes to his City side, with Rory Watson, who was believed to be out for the rest of the season, being reinstated between the sticks in place of George Sykes-Kenworthy.

Ryan Fallowfield also returned to the starting eleven after serving his one-match suspension, with Maz Kouhyar dropping out of the squad through illness.

Academy duo Harley Dawson and Bill Marshall both travelled down with the squad, having recently been involved in first-team training.

Solihull themselves are preparing for a play-off match and an Isuzu FA Trophy final at Wembley, and with that in mind made two changes to their starting eleven.

Jack Stevens and Nana Boateng came in for Joe Sbarra and Joss Labadie, with the Moors replicating City by lining up in a 4-3-3 formation.

A final day showdown promised a lot, but the first-half was a forgettable experience, which York wouldn’t mind if it meant they were to be safe.

Boateng looked to put Solihull ahead just five minutes in when receiving possession on the edge of the area, but a superb challenge from Dan Batty put an end to the move.

City thought they had taken the lead following a well-taken effort from Billy Chadwick, with the winger seeing his strike nestle into the bottom left corner, only to be denied by the linesman’s flag.

Watson was back in action after struggling with a hamstring injury recently, but he was on hand to smother a powerful shot from Jamey Osborne on the edge of the area.

Both sides were struggling to break one another down, with Osborne of Solihull and Chadwick of York having strikes blocked by a crowd of bodies.

York have ended their season as the only team in the division to have not been awarded a penalty, but had thought that their fortunes might be changing with Armstrong appearing to be collided with inside the area. However, referee Paul Marsden waved away any claims.

The closest that either side would come fell to Moors left-back Joe Newton, who latched onto Boateng’s lay off before hammering a strike inches wide of the target.

The match was then brought to a temporary halt due to a medical emergency in the York away end, with the reaction from fans, both benches and the medical staff being exemplary. Thankfully, the supporter appears to be fine and has the best wishes of everyone at the Press.

A drab first-half however came to an end with Armstrong meeting a deep Fallowfield cross, but he was unable to direct his header on target and test Nick Hayes.

The final 45 of the season didn’t boast much action for City, with Callum Maycock firing an early warning sign with a curling effort that fell wide of the target.

Fallowfield was back in the eleven and looked to make an impact when latching onto a long ball on the right-wing, before delivering a low cross into a perfectly-positioned Lenell John-Lewis, but a fantastic interception from James Clarke denied City.

Solihull were growing in the contest as Tahvon Campbell scuffed a close-ranged effort wide, before substitute Job Benton curled a free-kick agonisingly over the bar.

Watson kept the scores at bay with a sublime save, rushing out to close the angle on Tyrese Shade who had broke through on goal, and clutching the strike to his chest.

But a game of little action was only ever going to be won by whoever scores first, and Solihull had a spring in their step.

The low cross from Jay Benn found an unmarked, onrushing Stevens, who powered a clinical finish into the roof of the net to put the Moors in front, and to surely claim the three points.

York looked to mount a late winner with a audaciously attempted bicycle kick from Chadwick, but with news of the final whistle at Boreham Wood, City knew that they were mathematically safe in the division.

The result means that the Minstermen end the 2023/24 National League season in 20th position on 53 points, one ahead of Boreham Wood, with Hinshelwood’s side completing the great escape.

SOLIHULL MOORS: Hayes, Clarke, Benn, Whitmore, Newton, Osborne (Mafuta, 80), Maycock (Labadie, 89), Stevens, Campbell, Boateng (Benton, 55), Shade

Subs not used: Morrison, Craig

Goals: Stevens (87)

Yellow cards: Stevens (78)

YORK CITY: Watson 7, Fallowfield 6, Howe 6, Crookes 6, Amos 7, Batty 7 (McLaughlin 6, 66), Armstrong 7, Hunt 7, Chadwick 6, John-Lewis 6, Akinyemi 6 (Burgess 6, 55)

Subs not used: Sykes-Kenworthy, Duckworth, Smith

Yellow cards: Batty (29), Hunt (76)

York’s star man: Marvin Armstrong. A resilient performance and the midfielder never stopped working.

Referee: Paul Marsden

Attendance: 2800 (1153)

Shots (on target): 3 (2) | 0 (1)

Corners:  1 | 2

Offsides: 2 | 1

Fouls committed: 6 | 12