Rovers renew their rivalry with York City on Saturday in what will be the 45th league meeting between the sides, having won 17 of the previous 44 games, drawn 12 and lost 15, scoring 57 goals and conceding 51 in the process.
Ten years ago, on 30th April 2016, Rovers were 4-1 winners at Bootham Crescent, the then home of York City and it was the last ever league match The Minstermen played at that venue.
It was the penultimate round of league fixtures for the 2015/.16 campaign and York’s relegation to The National League had already been confirmed while Rovers were still hoping to be one of the three sides automatically promoted to League Two seven days later.
The game at Bootham Crescent drew a crowd of 4,525, some 2,000 of them Rovers supporters, while another 900 were watching on the TV screens back at The Memorial Stadium.
Billy Bodin opened the scoring on 19 minutes, when he fired a left foot shot past goalkeeper Scott Flinders for his 11th goal of the season. He scored his 12th in the 71st minute, while Jermaine Easter added a third on the 80 minute mark.
Kerry McEvoy pulled a goal back for the home side, but the honour of scoring the final league goal at Bootham Crescent fell to Lee Mansell, who rifled a shot past Flinders after an effort from Jake Gosling had been blocked.
Seven days later, of course, Rovers clinched that last automatic promotion spot following a 2-1 win against Dagenham & Redbridge, while York’s final league game before relegation saw them draw 1-1 at Morecambe.
York returned to the League after being crowned National League Champions at the end of last season and Rovers, having been their last league opponents at Bootham Crescent, will provide the opposition for their first ever league match at the LNER Community Stadium, which has been their home since 2021.
It might be too much to ask for a repeat of the 4-1 scoreline achieved ten years ago, but a win would be a great way to kick off the new campaign!
