Penney is also hopeful that, now the final stages of the move are in sight, "everything is in place" for a successful season.

The Minstermen's move away from Bootham Crescent, their home ground of almost 89 years, comes following two disrupted campaigns.

Both 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons have stalled City's bid for promotion from the National League North as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The season before last, manager Steve Watson's side were genuine promotion-hopefuls before measures to curb the spread of Covid cut the campaign short.

Erstwhile table-toppers King's Lynn Town were promoted on points-per-game. Second-placed City, following a battle to earn 'elite' status and get the play-offs put on, lost to Altrincham four months after their last league game.

Last term was even more heavily punctuated, never more than a handful of games away from a postponement, while matters off the field dominated the attention almost as much as the games themselves.

City were never able to get going and the season fell flat in February.

"I always got the impression that once we came here, it was a fresh start for everybody," said Penney of the Community Stadium.

"As much as everybody loved Bootham, everybody appreciates it got tired. It's got massive history and that's why we've tried to bring as much as we can with us.

"A lot of people have a great affinity with it and I hope we can have a lasting affinity with this.

"That comes with winning games. If we start winning games and getting promoted, it builds and builds, getting some momentum back into the football club.

"We had that with Steve after he came in at Christmas, we hit the ground running that (next) season then points-per-game, play-offs and Covid knocked that momentum on the head."

He continued: "Everybody at the club, from the chairman down, wants to have a successful season, wants to get promoted and wants to get back in the Football League.

"We've got one of the biggest, if not the biggest, budgets in the division. We've got one of the best training grounds at this level, if not higher.

"We've got that out there," he said, indicating the Community Stadium playing surface. "I'm hoping that as a football club we've got everything in place, we've got the right manager, we recruit the right players because we've got a great budget, we've got great facilities, and we're in the right place to kick on.

"Football's cyclic and when you get to the bottom, you work your way back up and you keep going.

"The football club is geared and ready. We just need to put it on the pitch.

"No promotion is easy. You've got to be lucky in terms of injuries, suspensions, playing teams at the right time, teams having players suspended at the right time, injuries at the right time.

"There are a lot of variables that go in to getting promoted. It's tough to get promoted out of any league.

"We feel that we've got everything in place to give the manager the best chance of doing that.

"The big thing now is getting supporters back in.

"Everybody can see that when they're in there, it's a lot better atmosphere. I was here on Saturday (to watch York City Knights play Swinton Lions) and it's chalk and cheese from when it's empty.

"We just need the supporters in to get behind the team and enjoy the season in this brand-new stadium."