YORK City manager Nigel Worthington is warning his players to expect the unexpected ahead of the final weekend of the League Two season.

The Minstermen moved three places above the relegation zone following a 2-1 home win over Southend but still need a point from Saturday’s away match at Dagenham & Redbridge to guarantee their place in the Football League next season.

Due to their inferior goal difference, bottom-of-the-table Aldershot now look doomed despite Saturday’s 1-0 win over Dagenham, courtesy of a goal from ex-Minsterman Michael Rankine.

But, unbelievably, six other teams are still in danger of filling the second relegation place with one game left to play.

Dagenham, Barnet and AFC Wimbledon are the three teams, along with Aldershot, currently below City in the League Two standings.

But Barnet will travel to a Northampton team already certain of a play-off place and with no prospect of automatic promotion.

Wimbledon, meanwhile, entertain a mid-table Fleetwood team with only pride left to play for.

Devon pair Torquay and Plymouth, who occupy the two places above Worthington’s side, can only be drawn into the dogfight if Dagenham and City share the points on Saturday.

Even then, the south-western pair can ensure their survival by taking a point from their matches at home to Bristol Rovers and away to Rochdale respectively.

Had it not been for Jonathan Meades’ 82nd-minute equaliser for Wimbledon in a 2-2 draw at champions Gillingham on Saturday, City’s victory over Southend would have seen them safe.

Barnet ’keeper Graham Stack, meanwhile, also saved a stoppage-time penalty to ensure the Londoners beat Wycombe 1-0 and, as a consequence, Worthington is drumming into his team that nothing can be left to chance.

It is already a certainty that one club will be relegated from the Football League with 50 points for the first time and that fate could potentially befall two sides with City now on 52 following three wins and two draws during a five-match unbeaten run.

Ahead of the trip to Dagenham’s Victoria Ground, Worthington said: “I thought it would go down to the wire when we had ten left to play and the approach can be no different to what it has been during the last nine games I have been here.

“Anything can happen in football. I’ve seen it many times before.

“Wimbledon came back from 2-0 down on Saturday to get a draw at Gillingham and Barnet won their last game at Underhill after Wycombe missed a late penalty. All you can concentrate on is doing your own job and doing it well.

“We’ve got one game left and it’s in our hands. We are in a good position because we know what we need to do and are only focused on that game now.”

Chris Smith cleared two chances off the line in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time against Southend when an equalising goal would have meant the Minstermen needing a win at Dagenham to definitely stay in the division.

Worthington had words of high praise for his skipper as well as Dan Parslow, who was awarded with the Billy Fenton Clubman of the Year award for a record third time prior to kick off.

The City chief added: “Smithy has been a real captain over the last ten games and the one who ranks alongside him during that time for his commitment has to be Dan Parslow, who deserved his Clubman of the Year award.

“Michael Ingham has also done well and Ashley Chambers has come on in leaps and bounds, while young Tom Platt has stepped into the breach in a situation that isn’t easy but has done well too.”

Worthington went on to express his pleasure at belatedly seeing the best of last season’s 20-goal top scorer Matty Blair who, after Adam Reed’s second-minute strike was cancelled out by Southend’s Ryan Leonard, smashed in the match-winning goal on the stroke of half-time.

“I’ve heard lots about Matty Blair since I came here but I’ve said to him I’ve not always seen what I’ve heard about him,” Worthington pointed out.

“In Saturday’s game and the last half-hour at Northampton, though, I’ve seen glimpses, with his willingness to take people on and his goal threat. That’s not before time but he can do it and I want to see more of it.”

Worthington reasoned that the victory was a reward for his team’s character, saying: “We made a fantastic start, which gave the whole place a lift and that great noise from the supporters helped us.

“We were a yard off them though in the first half and they had too many easy passes but we eliminated that after the break. Good teams have character and we showed that in our second-half play.

“You have to dig in, be resolute and keep going for 90 minutes and we needed Smithy to clear off the line at the end but all credit to the players. It was a battling performance and we got the result we deserved over the course of the game.”

City will need to assess on-loan Sunderland midfielder Reed’s fitness ahead of the Dagenham match after he limped out of the action early in the second half against Southend, having taken a bang to his hip.

Jason Walker, meanwhile, is expected to continue in the lone central striker role vacated by Richard Cresswell following his return to parent club Sheffield United.

On former Luton and Barrow forward Walker’s recall to the starting line-up, Worthington said: “We want to play with energy so he knows what he needs to do and he put in a good shift.”

Bootham Crescent’s last home match of the season also attracted the campaign’s biggest gate of 5,975 with many supporters missing the kick off after the David Longhurst Stand was declared full and they were shepherded into the Popular Stand instead.

On the crowd’s backing for his team, Worthington added: “I’ve been amazed by York City’s supporters since day one when we were playing at Wimbledon and 500 were in the away end. The support home and away is phenomenal and we just want to give them something to smile and shout about.”