YORK City boss Jackie McNamara has admitted that this month’s pre-season friendly at Harrogate Town will be ideal preparation for the Minstermen’s National League curtain raiser on Maidstone United’s artificial pitch.

The Minstermen will travel to Kent for a Saturday, August 6 encounter which is also being broadcast live on BT Sports, meaning an early kick-off time of 12.15pm.

Maidstone started to lay their new £250,000 4G playing surface this week, after digging up the Gallagher Stadium’s old 3G pitch.

City’s trip to National League North neighbours Harrogate on Wednesday, July 27 will, therefore, now take on an added significance with the Wetherby Road outfit having installed their own 3G artificial turf over the summer at a cost of £1million.

Both Maidstone and fellow promoted National League South outfit Sutton United will play on non-grass surfaces next season, with McNamara reasoning: “You try to cover all bases in pre-season, because there are two teams with artificial pitches in the division, so the Harrogate game will be good preparation.

“It’s not something we haven’t done before anyway and, during the first few months I was here, we were on the Astroturf every week with the weather. “Some pitches are better than others and Maidstone’s is a 4G pitch, so I don’t see it being a big problem.

“It will be a mental thing more than anything else, because I believe the surface will be in good nick. It would have been nice to have had a home game, but everyone will have to go there during the season and we will be going a bit into the unknown with their pitch, but we have to embrace that and, hopefully, get off to a good start.”

Both York universities, York College and Clifton Moor’s PlayFootball site all have 3G or 4G pitches, with the difference between the two grades minimal.

McNamara suggested that he would be hoping to take advantage of such facilities in the city, but only sparingly, saying: “Maybe we’ll do a little bit building up to the game, because players will need to understand the difference, but we won’t be doing it every day.”

The City manager added that live television coverage will also give his players an added incentive to kick off the new campaign in style.

“Everyone wants to be on the television and the lads will be desperate to show their skills,” he reasoned.

Following the Maidstone match, the Minstermen will play back-to-back home matches, hosting a Macclesfield team who finished mid-table last term three days later and, then, entertaining Boreham Wood the following weekend after their narrow escape from relegation.

McNamara is already setting a target for those contests, declaring: “It’s really important to get off to a good start and winning our first two home games would set us up well.”

Other important dates for the diary include a Boxing Day trip to Humberside part-timers North Ferriby United, with the return match taking place on New Year’s Day.

Gary Mills’ Wrexham, meanwhile, will visit Bootham Crescent on Easter Monday, while the season concludes with a home match against last season’s beaten play-off finalists Forest Green on Saturday, April 29.

Fixtures in full:

Sat Aug 6 Maidstone United A

Tue Aug 9 Macclesfield Town H

Sat Aug 13 Boreham Wood H

Tue Aug 16 Gateshead A

Sat Aug 20 Forest Green Rovers A

Sat Aug 27 Woking H

Mon Aug 29 Wrexham A

Sat Sep 3 Solihull Moors H

Sat Sep 10 Torquay United A

Tue Sep 13 Tranmere Rovers H

Sat Sep 17 Dover Athletic H

Sat Sep 24 Barrow A

Sat Oct 1 Aldershot Town H

Tue Oct 4 Guiseley A

Sat Oct 8 Braintree Town A

Sat Oct 15 FA Cup 4Q

Sat Oct 22 Chester H

Tue Oct 25 Southport A

Sat Oct 29 Sutton United H

Sat Nov 5 FA Cup 1

Sat Nov 12 Eastleigh A

Sat Nov 19 Dagenham and Redbridge H

Tue Nov 22 Lincoln City H

Sat Nov 26 Bromley A

Tue Nov 29 Guiseley H

Sat Dec 3 Tranmere Rovers A FA Cup 2

Sat Dec 10 FA Trophy 1

Sat Dec 17 Torquay United H

Mon Dec 26 North Ferriby United A

Sun Jan 1 North Ferriby United H

Sat Jan 7 Dover Athletic A FA Cup 3

Sat Jan 14 FA Trophy 2

Sat Jan 21 Barrow H

Sat Jan 28 Aldershot Town A FA Cup 4

Sat Feb 4 Macclesfield Town A FA Trophy 3

Sat Feb 11 Maidstone United H

Sat Feb 18 Boreham Wood A FA Cup 5

Sat Feb 25 Gateshead H FA Trophy 4

Tue Feb 28 Lincoln City A

Sat Mar 4 Eastleigh H

Sat Mar 11 Sutton United A FA Cup 6 / FA Trophy Semi-Final (1)

Sat Mar 18 Bromley H FA Trophy Semi-Final (2)

Tue Mar 21 Southport H

Sat Mar 25 Dagenham and Redbridge A

Sat Apr 1 Braintree Town H

Sat Apr 8 Chester A

Fri Apr 14 Solihull Moors A

Mon Apr 17 Wrexham H

Sat Apr 22 Woking A FA Cup Semi-Final

Sat Apr 29 Forest Green Rovers H

Sat May 27 FA Cup Final