Same Old City

This Saturday brings a first visit to Rochdale for York since the crazy day back in April when Josh Stones’ 103rd-minute winner dashed Dale’s title dreams and secured promotion for City in the most dramatic fashion. Rochdale went on to join York in the EFL after winning the National League playoffs, and the two sides have been on interesting journeys si…

York got back to winning ways in the FA Cup, and Simon and Ben are back to chat about that Ollie Pearce opener (including whether either of them actually saw it), and analyse what went right in a comfortable 4-0 win over Northampton. We also discuss potential 2nd round opponents, and preview the Jersey Mike’s dead rubber at Bradford and a hotly anticipated return to Rochdale at the weekend. Also covered: which York player is most like a bar of soap, which unexpected item is Ben planning to smuggle into Spotland, and did the Jetsons live in space or just in the future?

On this week’s pod, Simon and Ben are joined by guest Louis Boyce to pick the bones out of a scary second half performance in the 5-2 defeat at Grimsby. We chat about what went wrong, whether the substitutions changed the game, and what the result might mean for Scott Lindsey’s tenure at the club. We also look ahead to the upcoming FA Cup 1st round tie at home against Northampton, while this week’s tangents involve Sven-Goran Eriksson, Paolo Maldini and Findus crispy pancakes.

Halloween is approaching, and York encountered their very own bogeyman in the form of referee Ben Toner who ruined what had been a promising game against Barnet. Simon and Ben (Aspinall not Toner) get stuck into that and give our thoughts on Hiram Boateng’s bizarre red card, as well as reflecting on a hard-fought win against Port Vale at the weekend. We also look ahead to a trip to Grimsby and discuss the ticketing chaos that means some City fans will miss out on the game.

Simon and Ben convene to pick the bones out of two 1-1 draws for City - the battling ten-man display at Newport and the frustrating home performance against Accrington Stanley where a late Ollie Pearce goal spared City’s blushes. We ask the pressing questions like: was Malcolm’s red card justified, is Neil Hair the best referee’s name ever, and have opposition sides figured out Scott Lindsey’s Plan A? There’s also a look ahead to upcoming clashes with Port Vale and Barnet, as well as plenty of tangents covering topics such as Goosebumps, Andrew Ridgeley and Pope Benedict XVI.

Simon and Ben are joined by first-time guest Rob Yeomans to reflect on City’s first dropped points at home since January in the 1-1 draw against Northampton. We debate the offside calls and whether it’s time to freshen up the starting eleven a little. We also look ahead to a trip to Newport and a home game against Accrington. There’s time in between all that to chat about fridges and freezers, tell anecdotes about spotting City managers in betting shops pre-match, and discuss the merits of horror films.

There’s a new guest on the pod this week, with Lennon Sissons joining Simon and Ben as we discuss City continuing their superb home form with a 3-0 win over Gillingham. We also give the Jersey Mike’s draw (defeat?) against Rotherham the attention it deserves, and look ahead to the visit of Northampton after a two-week break with no games. Plus, stuff about Parappa the Rapper, wheelie bins and more!

“York City are at it again!” Simon is joined by Will Harris and Stu Wilson to look back on both legs of City’s 4-3 aggregate win over Everton in the 1996/97 Coca-Cola Cup 2nd Round. We discuss Neville Southall’s girth, the underappreciated genius of Gary Bull, the smell of the David Longhurst stand at half-time and much more. We also answer questions such as: did Graeme Murty end the England career of Andy Hinchcliffe, whatever happened to Michael Branch, and was this victory actually better than the win over Manchester United in the same competition the season before?

1st leg highlights (Everton 1-1 York)

2nd leg highlights (York 3-2 Everton)

Ben and Simon shoot the breeze about a week that saw York fall to two defeats, firstly in a bizarre game against Newcastle U21 in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy, then in a more important fixture at Chesterfield that started brightly but ended with a 2-0 loss and raised questions about our ability to compete with the big dogs of League Two. We discuss what went right and wrong, assess the season so far, and look ahead to this week’s fixtures - find out why Ben’s wife Helen absolutely hates Gillingham!

Hello, hello - City are back, and so is Ben as he joins Simon to discuss a very enjoyable 4-0 home win over Swindon Town. We salivate over wonder strikes from Alex Newby and Ollie Banks, chuckle at the head loss of Swindon’s Mitch Clark, and wax lyrical about the return of the Zak (Johnson). We also look ahead to some red-hot EFL Trophy action against Newcastle U21s and an intriguing league game at Chesterfield. There’s also a bit where we show our (middle) age by reminiscing about the golden age of Rothman’s football yearbooks for some reason.