Today I'm going back just one year to 2021 and York City's first ever visit to Gloucester City's New Meadow Park ground for a National League North fixture which was played in front of 2,034.
The featured game was more than just Gloucester City's first home game of the season. It also represented the club's first competitive match in the City of Gloucester since 2007 following disastrous flooding which left the pitch underwater almost to the height of the crossbars and most of the club's facilities damaged beyond repair (other earlier games at New Meadow Park in season 2020/21 had been declared null and void due to Covid19 having curtailed the season). In the intervening 14 years, Gloucester City had done well to survive, operating as a nomadic club with no home ground to call their own. During their time away they had ground shared with Forest Green Rovers, Cirencester Town, local rivals Cheltenham Town and finally Evesham United in a ground that wasn't even in Gloucestershire. New Meadow Park is actually in the same location as the old Meadow Park but with one crucial difference. The level of the pitch and therefore all the spectator facilities have been elevated by several feet in an attempt to keep everything above water should the floods return. This was critical to the club being able to obtain insurance. Now, finally, Gloucester were back home and you could sense the optimism of the locals for the season ahead.
To say York's season was something of a roller-coaster ride is something of an understatement. There were some absolutely abysmal performances last season as well as a sprinkling of stardust which eventually led the Minstermen to the unlikeliest and most unexpected of promotions via the Play-Offs. With the benefit of my extensive football wisdom I was able to inform everyone that this City squad were simply not good enough for promotion. How wrong I was! But back near the start of the season, York's dire performance in the featured game came under the abysmal category and the travelling Massive were less than happy and with good reason. The result was a disgraceful 4-0 drubbing with goals coming from Gloucester's Danny King (44 minutes), Fabien Robert (55), Kevin Dawson (76) and Matt McClure (88) and York boss Steve Watson and the players felt the full force of the disgust of many City supporters in attendance. It simply wasn't good enough for a club of York's stature and we all knew it.
By 13th November, with things not looking very clever for a disappointingly midtable York, there was a parting of the ways with manager Watson followed by the immediate appointment of his recently appointed assistant John Askey. Askey, with experience of leading Macclesfield Town out of the National League in 2018, took a little time to turn City's troubled ship but succeeded to the extent that he was appointed permanently in March 2022 as he led York towards the end of season Play-Offs.
The Play-Offs proved to be a fairy tale for York and a return to the National League's top division was delivered after five seasons in the wilderness of regionalised football (National League North). Gloucester, not terribly Northern I understand, finished 17th (of 22) but were jolly glad to be home. Champions last season were Gateshead and the only team to be relegated (due to a restructuring of the Leagues) were Guiseley.
CRB Match No. 2442
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