MATCH PREVIEW: Wealdstone vs York City

After almost a month on their travels, the Stones return to the Vale on Saturday to face a title-challenging York City side led by former Stones manager Stuart Maynard.

The Basics

Date: Saturday, February 14

Venue: Grosvenor Vale, Ruislip, HA4 6JQ

Competition: The Enterprise National League

Kick Off Time: 3:00 pm

Broadcast Information: The game will be available to watch live via DAZN (non-UK residents only)

News From The Vale

Manager Sam Cox was disappointed with Tuesday night’s result against Altrincham, describing the one-nil scoreline as a “really bitter pill to take.” You can find his full post-match interview here.

Although Tuesday was not a fruitful day for the Wealdstone men’s first team, it was an excellent day for the under-23s side. They produced an excellent performance to earn an emphatic six-one victory against IDFA! Well done, young Stones!

Due to a combination of fixture postponements and rearrangements, the Stones are set to have four midweek fixtures at the Vale in quick succession. The club have therefore created a 2-4-1 ticket offer for these games.

If you buy a ticket for the Hartlepool United match on February 17th, you get a free ticket for the Brackley Town match on February 24th. If you purchase a ticket for the Morecambe game on March 3rd, you get a free ticket for the Tamworth contest on March 10th.

Due to the way our online ticketing platform works, the 2-4-1 deal can only work with these specific pairs of matches. However, there is nothing stopping fans from taking advantage of both ticket offers, effectively earning themselves a 4-4-2 deal.

This could see you save up to £36, and your support during this busy period would mean the world to Sam Cox and the players.

The Opposition

Recent form: WWWWW

League Position: 2nd

The Stones welcome one of the most in-form teams in the country to the Vale on Saturday in the form of York City.

After falling short in the title race last season, the Minstermen hierarchy made the brutal decision to remove Adam Hinshelwood from his position and replace him with Stuart Maynard, who had a very successful stint as Wealdstone manager between 2021 and 2024.

York are trying to go toe-to-toe with Rochdale in the title race, and both sides have put together incredible seasons thus far. Even though they have not lost a league game since October 1st, the Minstermen sit two points behind Rochdale, who also have two games in hand.

The reverse fixture: The Stones’ four-nil defeat at the LNER Community Stadium is one of their worst defeats of the season on paper, but their performance was much more respectable.

Sam Cox’s men started the game well, dominating the ball. Omar Mussa had a big chance to give his side the lead in the 15th minute after he dispossessed Alex Hunt, but he failed to convert.

Just three minutes later, the hosts opened the scoring from a corner, which was met by Malachi Fagan-Walcott.

York doubled their lead less than 10 minutes later, as the ball fortuitously fell to Ollie Pearce in the six-yard box after Dante Baptiste made a good save.

Micah Obiero thought he had halved the deficit in the 35th minute, but his strike was ruled out for offside.

The second half of the game followed a similar pattern, with the Stones looking good in general possession, but York having more of a cutting edge.

Pearce was played through on goal in the 60th minute, chipping Baptiste to effectively end the game as a contest.

York’s fourth goal of the match came after a nice passing move fell to Alex Newby, who poked his effort into the net via the post.

The danger man - Alex Newby: The Minstermen have a whole host of attacking threats, the most obvious being Ollie Pearce, the fifth tier’s top scorer. However, one man who has been particularly impressive in recent games is Alex Newby.

Newby can play on either flank or in attacking midfield, and he has been consistently excellent since dropping back into the National League in 2023. In a two-year spell at Altrincham, he scored 27 goals in just 79 league appearances, and he has continued this goalscoring form this campaign.

The 30-year-old has already found the net 11 times in the league and 13 times in all competitions, establishing himself as a regular starter despite the intense competition for places at the LNER Community Stadium.

Newby has scored three goals in his last five appearances, a particularly impressive feat given that he started on just two occasions.

Buy Your Tickets Now!

The Stones are entering a run of consecutive home fixtures, and your support at the Vale would mean the world to the players and management team as they look to finish the season strongly.

ARE STONES NOT YOUR FIRST LOVE?

We're not proud - we don't mind being second best if you already support a 'big' team higher up the pyramid.

But if they're not playing and you'd like to experience what proper, unfettered, VAR-free live football sounds and feels like, then give The Vale a try!

Just choose the 'Concession - PL / EFL Season Ticket Holder' option when buying online, and you'll get £5 off our usual match ticket price.

CLICK HERE to secure your tickets!