York City v Bristol Rovers - Pirates offer hope for future of Minstermen

Bristol Rovers were relegated to the Conference in 2014 but bounced back at the first attempt and are this term bidding to win back-to-back promotions.

Cheltenham Town also earned an instant return this season, Gary Johnson’s side being so dominant in the fifth tier that today could see the Gloucestershire club eclipse 100 points.

Following their own demotion being confirmed a week ago, York’s challenge is to follow in the footsteps of both the Pirates and the Robins once the National League kicks off in August.

“We hope we can emulate what Cheltenham and Bristol Rovers have done,” said the City chairman.

“It is not going to be easy but we have done it before and we can do it again. We want to bounce back and bring League football back to York.”

The tone for a largely desperate season was set back on the opening day, as an error-ridden display condemned City to a 3-0 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers.

A total of 24 more defeats have followed along with the conceding of another 79 goals to underline why the Minstermen have been odds on to go down for weeks, even months.

The rebuilding job this summer is huge, with McGill admitting earlier this week that around 15 new players will need to be signed ahead of the club’s return to the fifth tier.

First, though, is today’s visit of a team hoping to ensure the scrap for automatic promotion goes to the final weekend.

“It is our last home game of the season and I want to make sure we put on a good show to sign off in the right way,” said manager Jackie McNamara, whose side are unbeaten in five games at Bootham Crescent.