Next Up: York City v Exeter City

This may not be one for the purists. City head on the road looking for only their second win of 2015 against a side who themselves have a single victory this year so far. Paul Tisdale’s selections in recent games have come under increasing scrutiny from the press and fans who have grown tired of the “square pegs, round holes” approach that has seen several players played out of position with others left out altogether, and it remains to be seen whether Tisdale trusts his own instincts or pays heed to the calls from outside. One name still missing from the line-up will be David Noble, sadly he has aggravated his injury and will be out for several weeks. Others such as Alex Nicholls and David Wheeler will have hoped to force their way into contention, while Christian Ribeiro will no doubt be itching to be back on the right where he is at his marauding best rather than stuck at the back.

This time last year York were setting off on an amazing run that saw the Minstermen transformed from relegation candidates into promotion hopefuls, culminating in an appearance in the playoffs where they lost to Fleetwood. The pundits were unsure whether they could sustain that form into the new season or whether they’d sink back towards the bottom, and so the latter has been proved, and York go into Saturday’s match just one place and one point above Cheltenham in the drop zone. Their form heralded a change of manager, but Russ Wilcox has so far been unable to repeat the early success he had at Scunthorpe, and while York have actually lost the same number of games as City, it’s their inability to turn draws into wins that has seen them firmly in the relegation dogfight. York have utilised the loan market in an attempt to find a winning formula, re-signing Diego De Girolamo from Sheffield United after a successful loan spell earlier in the season, while there are a couple of familiar loanees in ex-Torquay goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik and ex-Plymouth defender Stephane Zubar. Emile Sinclair has been brought in from Northampton to add firepower, and he has scored twice in six games so far.

The reverse fixture in August saw both sides enter the match winless, and they finished it winless too after a 1-1 draw – Wheeler put City ahead early on before Keith Lowe equalised. The corresponding fixture last season, coincidentally on the same weekend, saw York race into a 2-0 lead through McCombe and Coulson, Bennett reduced the arrears before City laid siege on the York goal without reward. City hold the overall league head to head lead with 23 wins to York’s 18 (8 draws).

Match officials – http://www.exeweb.com/2015/02/24/match-officials-york-city-v-exeter-city/

Ground guide – http://www.exeweb.com/2012/08/16/the-things-you-need-to-know-bootham-crescent/

Last year’s highlights

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