Darryl Eales' notes from the York magazine
Good afternoon and I hope you have had an enjoyable Easter weekend and we can give you something extra to smile about this afternoon.I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the supporters, players and officials of York City.
Today has been designated "Supporters’ Day" and there will be plenty going on around the ground ahead of the game. The most obvious difference is the presence of a supporters bar in the car park next door to the ox. One of the things that people have told us all season is how much they miss the Priory pub before matches; somewhere to have a beer with their friends and look forward to the game. As a football supporter myself I entirely endorse this - football is a social game which should bring people together.
The "Supporters' Bar" is being trialled today and I’d like to thank Firoka for their help and support in allowing us to try it out and also thank Bailey Farr for running the bar for us. Hopefully the choice of beer, cider and lager will be welcomed. I plan to be in there ahead of the game to enjoy a real ale and hope to be able to chat to many of you ahead of another crucial game.
Although not everything has gone to plan this season, we are determined to try and ensure the club is unified and everyone is working together for the best interests of the club. We are hampered on occasion in not having freedom of operation of the stadium but we are trying to improve the match day experience little by little with the support of Firoka. I look forward to hearing your views on how the bar worked and whether it could become a more regular feature.
The Carlisle game was headlined as our military day and it was a privilege to meet both members of our serving forces and Bert Mayle and Steve Allen, Chelsea pensioners who both served during the Second World War. The day proved a great success and I hope helps promote closer links between the club, community and our armed services.
I am writing these notes ahead of the Wycombe game so do not know how we got on. However, I was delighted that the players put in a massive performance against Carlisle and deservedly took the three points. The spirit in the camp is excellent and I know Michael was relishing the challenge of Wycombe.
Against Carlisle, our fans were magnificent, especially after we went a goal down. Some of our football was superb and both goals were of the highest quality. It was great to see Patrick Hoban get off the mark and then for Kyle Vassell to score so quickly on his debut made it a great afternoon all round.
We welcome York today who, like ourselves, have had frustrating season, and have a primary objective of survival and a strong finish to the campaign. It will be a tough encounter but I hope we can deliver the quality of performance that a big Bank Holiday crowd deserves.
Enjoy the game
Darryl Eales
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