The Coasters make a visit to the LNER Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon as we face York City for the second time this season following a 2-0 defeat at Mill Farm in November. Ahead of our visit to Yorkshire, we’ve pulled together everything you need to know about The Minstermen.
The Lowdown:
The Coasters come into this clash with York City looking to bounce back from their exit in the FA Trophy to Aveley last weekend. A solitary goal separated the 2 sides and sent the Kent side through to the next round. However, in the league Chris Beech will be looking to make it 3 wins from 3 in 2024 as the Coasters will look to carry on their decent league form.
York will be looking to extend their unbeaten league run to 8 matches which has seen them pull away from the relegation zone and put them on an upwards trajectory. However, defeats in this run to Nantwich and Wigan shows that the lack of quality in depth is a problem for Neil Ardley. Ardley like Beech has come in halfway through the season and is trying to make the squad his own which is seen with multiple loan departures this week to the York City squad. Saturday is a big game for both sides as 3 points would be massive come the end of the season.
The Manager: Neil Ardley
York were one of the first teams to change managers this season opting to appoint Neil Ardley less than one month into the season. Ardley started off his playing career at Wimbledon FC. Ardley was a major success at the South-London side making just shy of 250 appearances over an 11 year spell. This 11 year spell saw him playing in the top division of English football playing a key part in a side which enjoyed long runs in the FA Cup. However these affairs never last forever as in 2003 Ardley moved to Watford FC.
Ardley once again became a key player in the Watford side making 111 appearances in 3 seasons. Ardley helped the Hornets get to an FA Cup semi-final which he had achieved at his previous clubs. Ardley then spent 2 seasons at different clubs before retiring in Cardiff City and then Millwall. Ardley ended his career in 2007 after making 415 appearances at 4 different clubs. Ardley then made his way to coaching and started off at the bottom making a gradual rise.
He started off coaching at Cardiff City Academy where he spent 5 years there helping develop the youth setup at Cardiff. Ardley then moved to AFC Wimbledon who he had connections with in the past when playing at the club which got relocated. Ardley stayed at Wimbledon from 2012 to 2018. During this period, Ardley managed to get the club into League 1 and have some famous cup runs. He also managed to keep the club in League 1 for a few seasons.
But in 2018, the Wombles decided time was up for Ardley and he got the sack. 2 weeks later and he was back in a job this time with Notts County. Ardley took Notts County down to the National League for the first time in their history which was a terrible accolade for the club. Ardley however could not get the club back to the football league and was sacked after finding themselves 14 points behind eventual champions Sutton United.
In 2021, Ardley was back in business this time with Solihull. In his first season he took them to the playoff final losing out to Grimsby. In his second season, Ardley guided the moors to a mid table finish but left the club in June of this year. Ardley then took over at the Minstermen and has steadied the ship and guided them clear of the relegation zone with some impressive results.
Key Players:
Lenell John-Lewis – The shop is a massive part of the York side, playing a pivotal role holding the line up top. A strong target man who’s link up play is impressive has been a key player for York over the years. However, at 34 Lenell may be looking to achieve success with the Minstermen sooner rather than later.
Dipo Akinyemi – Signed from the Scottish championship in the summer, Akinyemi has had quite the first season at this level, notching 9 goals so far and with even more to come. A handful for defenders, Fylde will have to be at their best to keep York quiet this weekend.
Scott Burgess – A key midfielder under the Ardley regime who rarely ever seems to be missing from the starting 11 despite not being able to get a game at the start of the season. A player with that creative spark to create space and create chances, Burgess could be the difference between the 2 sides on Saturday.
Previous Meetings:
16th February 2021
National League North
York City 1 vs 3 AFC Fylde
Goalscorers: City- Sean Newton. Fylde- Alex Whitmore, Nick Haughton (X2)
1st March 2022
National League North
AFC Fylde 0 vs 2 York City
Goalscorers: City- Lenell John-Lewis, Mitch Hancox
2nd May 2022
National League North
York City 2 vs 1 AFC Fylde
Goalscorers: City- Lenell John-Lewis, Mitch Hancox. Fylde- Ben Tollitt.
11th November 2023
National League
AFC Fylde 0 vs 2 York City
Goalscorers: City- Scott Burgess, Ryan Fallowfield
Opposition Form:
Only 1 defeat in the league since the last time we played York suggests that things are on the up. However, their league position suggests otherwise, currently sitting 18th, 11 points off the playoffs. The main reason that York are where they are is too many draws and not enough wins. 5 draws and 2 wins in the period since we last met, suggests that York cannot kill off teams when on the front foot. However, they are still picking up points and come the end of the season should be well clear of the relegation zone, but I’m sure Neil Ardley will be looking to win more games in the near future. The main reason for not killing off games is lack of goals scored, only scoring more than 2 in match once this season and that came in September, Ardley may look at adding some firepower to go along with Akinyemi.
