Have your say: York looking for Wembley double and new home approval

Matty Blair scored the decisive goal – as he had done in the FA Trophy semi-final – nine minutes from time to put York within one win of returning to the Football League.

Now they face a monumental period in their history with the FA Trophy final this coming Saturday and the play-off final on May 20 marking an unprecedented Wembley double.

And sandwiched in between, York’s plans for a new 6,000-seater community stadium at Monks Cross – to be shared with rugby league side York City Knights – go before the city council’s planning committee on May 17.

“Any councillors wanting to turn down our planning application, just come and have a look at this,” said jubilant chairman Jason McGill in the emotional aftermath of yesterday’s semi-final triumph over Mansfield.

“Surely it would be difficult to turn down our application after we’ve achieved two visits to Wembley.”

McGill forecasts that the Minstermen will make around £325,000 from their two visits to the national stadium.

But such an opportunity for a side who lost the FA Trophy final in 2009 and the play-off final 12 months later means more than just the money.

McGill said: “For us it’s a tremendous amount of money, but the big prize of getting promoted is worth significantly more than that. It goes beyond the finances; it’s about all the emotion, all the work, all the effort that has gone in.

“It’s got a lot of repercussions for us.

“I said when we came into the club that there were two things we really wanted; one was to get the community stadium to provide financial stability for the football club and the second was to get us promoted to the Football League.

“We’re a little bit closer to that now.

“A Wembley double is unprecedented. We’re just behind Chelsea, Liverpool and Portsmouth to name but a few in the amount of appearances at Wembley.

“The nerves are more fraught in a play-off final because it’s the dream ticket for us.

“But we’re looking to win both and come back with a 100 per cent record from Wembley.

“It’s been a long time coming.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am of all the players, the management team and all the fans.”

The achievement in getting to two finals cannot be downplayed, particularly as this is manager Gary Mills’s first full season in charge. Former Nottingham Forest defender Mills said: “It feels great for the football club.

“I never doubted my players for one minute.

“We’ll enjoy this victory, but it’s a funny thing because we’ve got to put the play-off final away for a week and concentrate on the FA Trophy final this Saturday.

“But what a way to end the season.”