Today I'm going back twelve years to 2010 and York City's Blue Square Premier (National League) Play-Off Final against Oxford United at Wembley Stadium. The game was attended by 42,669 of which perhaps 75% were from Oxfordshire and it followed York's Play-Off Semi-final heroics against Luton Town which I have covered recently (it's all in my blog folks!).
First blood in the game went to Oxford in the 15th minute following their long ball over the top that tempted City keeper Michael Ingham to come out and try to collect. Sadly Ingham failed to get to the ball and it was knocked across to Matt Green who fired home into the top corner on the half volley. We didn't have to wait long for another goal and, disappointingly, it was Oxford again who got it. James Constable was put through and he fired into the net from the edge of the area. With 21 minutes gone, York were two down and things looked very bleak for the Minstermen. Clearly the Gods were angry at such a performance and showed their displeasure by bringing a tropical monsoon down upon the players heads. It was the sign that City needed and, just before halftime, they got lucky as Oxford keeper Ryan Clarke dropped a routine cross over his own goal line for a horror own goal! At 2-1, York were suddenly right back in it.
City manager Martin Foyle had York on the front foot during the second half and they created and then squandered more than one chance to level the game. Perhaps inevitably, as the clock ticked down and with time running out, York pressed forward in greater numbers leaving themselves exposed at the back. From a York corner, the ball was cleared upfield and substitutes Sam Deering and Alfie Potter found themselves two on one with only Michael Ingham to beat. Potter stroked the ball home and, with the 90 minutes up, it was Chris Wilder's Oxford United who had won promotion back to the Football League sending the majority of the crowd home happy.
The game was York's second visit to the new Wembley Stadium following 2009's FA Trophy Final against Stevenage but this was so much more important representing, as it did, the opportunity to return to the Football League after six seasons in the non-League wilderness. We didn't know it at the time but York would be returning to Wembley twice more two years later and would clinch their own promotion, this time against Luton Town, in the second of those games. Eight wilderness years was long enough!
CRB Match No. 1751
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