JOHN ASKEY believes that York City's play-off final on Saturday (3pm) is "probably one of the biggest games that this club has ever had."

York have spent five seasons in the sixth-tier Vanarama National League North, the club's lowest ever standing in the football pyramid, but now stand just 90 minutes away from promotion.

Play-off wins over Chorley and Brackley Town have put City in a first promotion final since their 2017 relegation to regional football.

Ahead of the all-important clash with Boston United at the LNER Community Stadium, which will hold a new record crowd, Minstermen manager Askey did not downplay the significance of the occasion.

“The most important thing is for the football club," he said.

"It’s desperate to get back into a league where the pitches and crowds are decent and hopefully this will be a starting point for the club again.

“It’s a really difficult league to get out of. You go to some of these grounds and it becomes a level playing field.

“We go there thinking you can play football but you’re sadly mistaken, as I’ve found out.

"To get out of this league, it’s probably one of the biggest games that this club has ever had, to get back into what I would call proper football.”

The York boss has previously achieved promotion with Macclesfield Town, leading the club to the 2017/18 National League title despite its shoestring budget.

Askey spent 19 seasons at Macclesfield as a player, becoming the club's record appearance holder, and managed almost 300 Silkmen matches. He was awarded the freedom of the town in 2018.

Despite his strong Macclesfield associations, Askey insists that play-off success with York would mean as much as his 2018 accomplishment.

“It’d mean a great deal and as much as it meant last time I got promoted, considering where we were when I came in," he said.

“My main focus is for the football club rather than me personally. I just want the club to get back to somewhere where it can push on because the club deserves it.

“For clubs like York City, it’s sad when they’re not playing in at least (Football) League football or at level where there’s going to be good crowds.”

The crowd at the LNER Community Stadium will be capped at 7,500, 1,000 fewer than the ground's overall capacity, amid the ugly scenes witnessed after last week's win over Chorley.

Tickets for the play-off final sold rapidly, with the home allocation selling out in just over an hour of general sale.

"Playing at home is a massive advantage with the support that we’re getting," enthused Askey.

“But we’ve just got to play the game and not the occasion."

He added: “I think we’re used to it (the pressure). The last however many games they’ve really had to fight and battle. In every game we’ve played, there seems to have been something on it.

“We’ve had the (FA) Trophy games and the games recently, especially the Chorley game where the atmosphere was as good as it’s been.

“Our players are probably more used to it than Boston’s.”

To many observers, York against Boston is an unlikely line-up for the National League North play-off final.

City finished fifth in the regular season, a staggering 21 points behind second-placed Brackley Town, whom they overcame 1-0 in the semi-finals.

United meanwhile placed seventh after 42 league matches and have twice upset the odds in away wins at Kidderminster Harriers and AFC Fylde.

“When you go into the play-offs (on a run) you’ve got momentum," said Askey. "I think Fylde, Kidderminster, Brackley and Chorley had all stuttered.

“They had one eye on the play-offs, started to rest players and then you use lose a bit of form.

“For ourselves and Boston, we had to keep pushing. Thankfully for ourselves, that has got us where we are.”