THE Adam Hinshelwood era of York City is now over after the manager was surprisingly sacked by the football club earlier today.
Hinshelwood leaves York as the permanent manager with a highest-ever win ratio with City, having won 54.5 per cent of his matches in charge – recording 36 wins, 14 draws and 15 defeats in 66 games.
His dismissal on Thursday morning came as something as a shock to supporters, with Hinshelwood so far leading the Minstermen to an unbeaten start to the Enterprise National League campaign, albeit has been something of a frustrating start with three draws and a win from four matches.
But with Hinshelwood’s time with York now at an end, which will be the defining moments from his time as the City boss?
YORK CITY 1-0 ALDERSHOT TOWN – MARCH 16, 2024
A huge turning point in Hinshelwood’s tenure was that long-awaited first victory – and it arrived in dramatic circumstances.
Having picked up just one point from his first four matches, York were lounging in the National League relegation zone, with supporters dismayed at the direction the club were heading in.
City had lost 6-1 to Altrincham just four days prior in what was a real dark moment for the football club, a match which caused then-captain Lenell John-Lewis to address supporters with relegation looming.
So it was a delight four days later when John-Lewis powered home an 89th minute header to beat Aldershot Town, and to clinch a first win for Hinshelwood as manager.
Hinshelwood was an emotional man post-match, as he relished what was the first of 36 wins at the helm.
Another big moment in the same season and month as his first win was when Hinshelwood orchestrated a shock victory over champions-elect Chesterfield.
In front of a bumper crowd at the LNER Community Stadium, City had the difficult task of beating runaway leaders Chesterfield, who had entered something of a blip themselves.
It was a third consecutive win for York and Hinshelwood, who had also beaten Bromley after that Aldershot match, but posed the biggest challenge of the boss’ career.
Joe Quigley’s early goal sparked worry amongst the home supporters, but a fantastic finish from Maz Kouhyar drew the Minstermen level in the second-half.
Dipo Akinyemi provided the all-important moment that secured the three points, as York stunned a Chesterfield side that included Ash Palmer, Jeff King and Ollie Banks, who would go on to lift the National League title.
YORK CITY 3-1 BARNET – OCTOBER 22, 2024
York had started the season in a scintillating fashion, with pre-season hopes of a positive finish quickly becoming a dare to dream view of potential promotion.
Their closest competitors were Barnet, who, under Dean Brennan, had been excellent in a similar fashion to City.
Many viewed the midweek clash between York and Barnet as an early indicator of what could come for the remainder of the National League season, but few would have predicted that the Bees would not lose another league match until April 2025.
City again rose to the occasion under Hinshelwood, despite Bailey Hobson firing Barnet into a first-half lead.
Marvin Armstrong came back to haunt his old club and scored a leveller on the brink of half-time, before an incredible Alex Hunt free-kick, and a third from Ollie Pearce, granted a 3-1 victory at the LNER Community Stadium.
City supporters may have felt it would have been hard to top the jubilation of that Barnet match – but it was achieved just four days later.
Whilst it wasn’t the most sparkling of performances from Hinshelwood’s team, a Yorkshire derby in the National League brought sheer entertainment, with over 2,000 supporters packing into the Halifax away end.
They would go on to be treated to a spectacle, but not before Jamie Cooke powered the Shaymen ahead with just 14 minutes played.
The hard work of the Barnet result looked as if it was unravelling as the match entered second-half stoppage time, but in true City fashion, they put on a late show.
Stoppage-time goals from Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Pearce sent the away end into manic, as York took clawed a win back to take three points back to North Yorkshire.
Into 2025, and similarly to the Barnet match, York had another tricky challenge when facing fellow promotion-hopefuls Oldham on their own home patch.
Oldham had not lost in any of their previous seven home matches prior to the fixture, but were undone by two first-half goals at Boundary Park.
Fagan-Walcott and Pearce were again both the scorers, providing the Minstermen with a somewhat comfortable advantage going into the half-time break.
City defended honourably in the second 45 to clinch the three points, which also included a debut for academy prospect George Grumley, who became the first player to make the step up from the under-18’s in Hinshelwood’s reign.
Hinshelwood has become known for his distinctive style of play of patient possession during his York tenure, but it was never more on show than it was at the Crown Oil Arena.
Rochdale were similar to Oldham in occupying a play-off spot and chasing promotion, but looked a class below City who were welcoming bodies back from injury.
The perfect pitch over the Pennines proved to be a major positive for Hinshelwood, as his side looked composed, slick and at times unstoppable against a Rochdale side that had impressed all season long.
A Pearce brace, one of which was an incredible back-heeled finish, was paired by goals from Lewis Richardson and the returning Ryan Fallowfield.
Hinshelwood said post-match: “That was us at our best tonight.”
Hinshelwood’s arrival, 14 months prior, from Worthing had promised entertaining, high-scoring matches in the National League.
A nine goal thriller at the LNER Community Stadium certainly lived up to that expectation, and was even more impressive considering it was at the back end of the National League campaign.
Hat-trick hero Pearce struck three, Richardson nabbed a brace, Josh Stones added to the scoreline and Callum Howe put any miraculous resurrection from Aldershot beyond doubt, who scored consolation goals via Jack Barham and Kwame Thomas.
A red card was also included in a match to remember, as Cameron Hargreaves was given his marching orders in the second-half.
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