CHIEF executive Alastair Smith has expressed his delight at York City reaching their all-time highest number of season ticket sales.

Over 2,100 season tickets have been sold ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, which sees York back in the Vanarama National League for the first time in five years following last term's National League North play-offs success.

The milestone exceeds City's previous best numbers managed when playing in the Football League, with the LNER Community Stadium in line to host numerous high crowds this season.

The news also comes less than a month after the club's sale from previous divisive owner Jason McGill to new chairman Glen Henderson (51 per cent stake) and the Supporters' Trust (49 per cent).

Henderson is working in a two-person board alongside Trust member Smith, the club's new chief executive.

On the season ticket news, Smith enthused: “I’m absolutely delighted and I’d like to thank everybody who has gone out and bought a season ticket, those that are renewing from previous seasons and those that are buying one for the first time.

“It’s great that they’re buying into the changes that we’ve had at the club.

“Even before we took over, we were tracking well on the number of season tickets, which I think is a reflection on the fantastic end we had to last season.

“It’s not just because of the takeover, I think that the fans have shown that there is an appetite for football in the city and an appetite for success. That’s great to be a part of.

“Hitting this record, we’ve gone back and checked all the records from our history and this not that many more than when we had a season in division two - what is now the Championship.

“But we’ve beaten that by a few hundred which is fantastic.”

Smith added of City's prominent South Stand following: "We’ve got a younger dynamic of fans coming in now which we maybe didn’t have at Bootham Crescent, which is great to see, because they’re providing a great atmosphere and that’s snowballing.”

York begin their National League campaign at home to Woking on Saturday (3pm).