By Ryan Brookes | Image by Tom Poole
We are back at home for the first time since New Year’s Day this Tuesday evening, as we look to extend our Vanarama National League unbeaten run to eight games.
Dorking Wanderers visit on Tuesday night looking to put a dent in the Minstermen’s good form, as they come off the back of a heavy Isuzu FA Trophy defeat at Macclesfield.
A team that competed in their National League maiden season last term, Dorking will certainly be no easy test, despite their lowly league position as it stands.
Currently occupying the penultimate safety spot, the Surrey side can leapfrog City with three points in midweek.
The Wanderers are not in the best of form though at the moment, only able to boast a single victory from their last eight in the league – an away day triumph at Oxford City.
Manager: Marc White
Not only is Marc White the manager of Dorking Wanderers, but he is also the club’s founder, owner, and chairman.
The 50-year-old founded the club with a group of friends back in 1999, and since starting out in the amateur park leagues, the only way has been up.
Initially playing for the team, he went on to become boss, and has overseen countless promotions, from the seventeenth tier all the way up to the fifth tier.
White flaunts an incredible 52% win rate across more than 600 games, and is keen to eventually make the huge step up to the Football League with Dorking, but saving them from the drop this year is the first job on the list.
Top Scorer: Jason Prior
Without main man Jason Prior, we could have been talking about a Wanderers side destined for relegation, but thanks for the veteran striker, they narrowly float above the dropzone as it stands.
A man who served a brief spell at White’s beloved AFC Wimbledon, and has bags of experience down in these leagues, it is no surprise that he has been banging in the goals for Dorking this season.
He’s already bagged eight this campaign in 19 games, making that one goal every 168 minutes.
The number nine has in fact, already scored once against York, in the 2-2 reverse fixture back in August, and will be hoping to do so again this Tuesday.
One We Know: Dan Pybus
Most City fans will know the name Dan Pybus quite well, one that is fresh in the memory from last season’s survival on our return to the National League.
The 26-year-old put pen to paper with the Minstermen in Summer 2022, when John Askey brought him to the club from Scottish side Dunfermline.
An ever-present for the most of the campaign, Pybus played 41 games for City, helping out in keeping us in the division.
The midfielder signed a contract extension at the beginning of last year, but departed the club after playing only twice in 2023/24.
He went on to sign for Dorking just hours before City’s journey down to Surrey, which saw the sides play out a 2-2 draw, with Pybus coming on as a sub for the hosts to make his debut.
He has enjoyed 22 appearances since then at Dorking, and will be making a return to the LNER Community Stadium this week.
Head-to-Head
Last season brought the first meeting between the Minstermen and the Wanderers when interim boss Tim Ryan oversaw a narrow 1-0 defeat at Meadowbank before Michael Morton took charge for the second half of the term, including our crucial 2-1 home victory against the National League newcomers.
We came so close to a second successive win over Dorking early this season, but were denied by a late Jason Prior header, cancelling out earlier strikes from Maz Kouhyar and Dipo Akinyemi.
Tuesday will mark the fourth contest between York and Dorking, as Neal Ardley becomes the third City boss to manage in this fixture.