Let’s do the double message to York fans and residents (From York Press)

Let’s do the double message to York fans and residents

8:30am Monday 14th May 2012 in Sport By Mark Stead, mark.stead@thepress.co.uk

WE’VE tasted Wembley glory once – now roar us on to do it again.

That’s the message to York fans and residents after more than 8,000 Minstermen followers were hailed for the “tremendous” support which helped inspire York City to their FA Trophy final triumph.

City return to Wembley on Sunday to face Luton Town in the Blue Square Bet Premier play-off final, with a place in the Football League at stake.

The club’s communications and community director Sophie Hicks urged people to snap up tickets for the crunch match and repeat the “fantastic” wall of sound which rang around Wembley on Saturday as Newport County were beaten 2-0.

“We’ve proved we have a good team which can perform at Wembley, the players now know what it’s like to win there, and now we hope as many fans as possible will follow us back there on Sunday, get behind the team and give us the final push we need to win promotion back to the Football League.

“Our supporters totally outsang Newport’s fans on Saturday. There is no doubt it spurs them on, and that shows with our goalkeeper Michael Ingham dedicating the victory to the supporters.”

The fans’ return to York was marked with celebratory chants reverberating around York Station on Saturday night. Mrs Hicks said the victory had helped to put York “on the map”.

“I hope we have made the people of York proud by bringing silverware home. You have got to think back to the dark days of ten years ago, when we potentially didn’t have a football club. Everybody has worked so hard to bring York City back from that point and now we are reaping the rewards.”

Plans are being made to celebrate the FA Trophy triumph, which is likely to see an open-top bus parade and a civic reception for the team tomorrow.

Sophie also said the victory had come at the perfect time ahead of a decision by City of York Council on Thursday on proposals for a new community stadium at Monks Cross which City would share with York City Knights.

“It shows sport in York is really, really important and emphasises the need for the city to have 21st century sporting facilities,” she said.

‘It was a great game – worth coming so far for’

A DEVOTED York City fan flew all the way from Austrailia to watch York City triumph at Wembley at the weekend.

Nick Wilson, 48, who lives in Mandurah near Perth, decided to make the journey last Monday after watching York City beat Mansfield.

The keen City fan – who has the personalised number plate YCFC – became a supporter after watching them play Rochdale in the 1978/9 season.

He will stay in the UK to watch next weekend’s match against Luton Town before flying back to Australia on Sunday evening.

Mr Wilson, who works as a GP, said after the game: “It’s excellent, a great result. It was a great game - worth coming so far for and I have brought the sun with me as well.

“It was the opportunity of a lifetime to come over, it’s a great achievement getting to Wembley twice in a week. I watched the Mansfield match on Monday, got the green light from my wife, and decided to come over.”

Mr Wilson was living in Riccall when he went to collect for a charity at his first York City match.

He says he now stays in touch by radio and by watching occasionally broadcast matches on satellite television.