By Ryan Brookes | Image by Tom Poole
Under new management, City will be looking for their first-ever win over Wealdstone this weekend when the sides meet for a crucial six-pointer.
The Stones will aim to bounce back to winning ways when they travel up to North Yorkshire, following a midweek defeat at Rochdale, in which all three Dale goals came before the break.
Prior to that though, Wealdstone had secured their spot in the FA Trophy quarter-finals with a comfortable win over Hendon before clinching a point away at Woking.
They still remain in the mix at the bottom, level on points with the Minstermen, which paints this fixture as a huge match in the relegation battle.
Manager: David Noble
Boss Noble has just surpassed a month at the helm of the Stones, having taken over from Stuart Maynard, who departed for Notts County, in January.
There were big boots to fill, with Maynard leaving as a club legend after helping Wealdstone reach their highest-ever league position.
Before linking up with his new club, Noble had endured a two-year stint as manager at St Albans City, where he led the team to the National League South Playoff Final, only to be beaten by Oxford City.
But the task is much different this season – it is a case of trying to survive in the fifth tier of English football.
Aldershot Town visited Grosvenor Vale for the 42-year-old’s first match in charge, and it was quite the spectacle as the nine-man Stones fought hard for a 3-3 draw.
Six games have been played since then, but Noble continues to search for a first league win with his side lingering dangerously above the relegation places.
Top Scorer: Sean Adarkwa
Wealdstone acquired former West Ham and Queens Park Rangers forward Adarkwa in the summer, with the 22-year-old joining on a one-year deal.
He signed up after a bright trial period during pre-season but failed to make an instant impact in the league.
Adarkwa opened his account five games in, away at Aldershot Town, but it only turned out to be a consolation as the Stones fell to a 3-1 defeat.
In the following 15 games, he only managed a couple, one of those securing a huge three points over Rochdale.
The young striker sprung into form in December, scoring an impressive five goals in three games – most notably, he bagged a hat-trick during the entertaining 4-4 draw with Hartlepool.
With nine goals in total over the course of the campaign, Adarkwa is Wealdstone’s top scorer and will be looking to add to his tally as the penultimate month of the season arrives.
Head-to-Head
York City and Wealdstone met for the first time last season, as the LNER Community Stadium played host in November 2022 – Jack Cook struck in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 comeback victory for the Stones.
The Minstermen made their initial trip to Grosvenor Vale later in the campaign, but it was disappointment again for City, with Adam Crookes grabbing a late consolation in a 3-1 defeat.
The two teams were paired for the opening day of the 2023/24 season, and 680 City fans made the trip down south, but despite Dipo Akinyemi scoring for the first time in red and blue to break the deadlock, the home side clinched a 2-1 win over the ten men of York.