Morgan Bruce previews York City’s match with Southend United
YORK City supporter Morgan Bruce previews the Minstermen’s upcoming match with Southend United.
This weekend we see York head back to the LNER Community Stadium for their first home league game since November, when they beat Maidenhead United 6-2.
This time the occasion is going to be slightly bigger and the game is likely to be harder as well as they face Southend United
The occasion is going to be slightly bigger as despite this being the mathematical halfway point of the 2024/25 National League season, and therefore there is still a lot of football to be played which puts less pressure on this match in particular, the crowd is likely to be a very healthy one.
The fact that this game will be contested between the two most popular teams in the National League should not come as a surprise to anyone who regularly watches the league.
Due to relegations and bad ownership, both fan bases have suffered greatly in recent years. As a result, they are sharing the National League this season in an effort to turn back into the EFL teams they once were.
Both clubs are going through relatively transitional seasons, however it is going much better for York than for Southend.
For Southend, the core of the playing and coaching staff is the same as the one from last year that narrowly missed out on the play-offs.
However, the main transition they are going through is off the pitch as the new Australian owners get to grips with owning a National League football club.
Unfortunately for them, things aren’t going as well on the pitch this year as they did last year with the Essex-based side currently finding themselves in 15th, with a goal difference of zero which is far from the end-of-season play-off race that Kevin Maher’s team had got themselves into, during a late season push at the end of the 2023/24 season.
For York, this season of transition under another new manager couldn’t be going any better as Adam Hinshelwood and his coaching team have done an exceptional job turning York from a team that has battled against relegation back to the sixth tier of English football in the last two seasons, into a side that has a genuine chance of making it back into the EFL at the end of this season.
Every season that York start with a new manager there is an aura of hope and expectation that unfortunately often falls short and turns into a disappointing season, however Hinshelwood has done superbly and deserves a lot of credit as he has got this York team to the top of the table with the best goal difference in the league .
That’s where they will be looking to stay this weekend with a win against the visiting Shrimpers.
