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By CHRIS WHEELER, NORTHERN SPORTS WRITER Published: 23: 52 AEST, 25 April 2026 | Updated: 07: 47 AEST, 26 April 2026 60 View comments The most epic of title races deserved the most epic of finishes, and it got exactly that as Josh Stones scored with the last kick of an incredible season to send York City into the EFL and break Rochdale’s hearts. Why should we have expected anything else after these two clubs matched each other stride for stride, blow for blow, over the most unforgettable National League campaign in living memory? Having scored another late winner for Rochdale in the 99th minute at Braintree last weekend to spoil York’s promotion party, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe looked to have done it again when he headed home in the fifth of six added minutes to send the Crown Oil Arena into rapture. Rochdale were ahead and going up if they could hold onto their lead for another 65 seconds. Devastated York were going into the play-offs. Delirious home fans poured onto the pitch in the sunshine, and the bench cleared of players and coaching staff desperate to join in the celebrations. It took six minutes; long enough for the York players to pick themselves up off the floor. Long enough for manager Stuart Maynard to rally his troops for one last push. The moment York were crowned National League Champions ? THEY ARE GOING UP! THEYAREGOINGUP! pic. twitter. com/4y ESO1q Btc Josh Stones's shot is blocked but it was ruled to have crossed the line. .. . .. sparking wild scenes at the Crown Oil Arena with York celebrating an incredible promotion ‘I think that helped, ’ said Maynard. ‘It gave us time to reflect. We all stayed out and came over to the dugout. Callum Howell, our skipper, said “gaffer, there's another big chance for us” – and boy there was! We just sent everyone up front bar the goalkeeper. ’ Rochdale may have earned a reputation for late goals to take this title race to the wire, but York have scored a few of their own. The clock had carried on ticking so we were in the 13th minute of added time when Ryan Fallowfield lifted over a cross from the right and Howe met it with a downward header which goalkeeper Ollie Whatmuff parried. Stones reacted first and Tyler Smith cleared but, agonisingly for Rochdale, the linesman ruled that it had crossed the line. No VAR in the National League. No goal-line technology even. But it was the right call and referee Will Finnie gave it. Now it was the York fans on the pitch and this time it was final. There was only enough time to restart the game. ‘There's justice in the sense of we've gone up because they've got the big call right, ’ added Maynard. ‘It was twice in two weeks we've had our hearts broken and one hand firmly gripped on the trophy only to have it got taken away for all of 60 seconds. But, look, they're warriors and I'm so proud of them all. ’ There was relief for Stones who finally prevailed in his battle with Whatmuff, having fired straight at the keeper on loan from Manchester City when clear early in the second half. Rarely can an equalising goal felt so much like a winner. ‘If we’d lost 1-0, I wouldn't sleep for days. Now I'm not going to sleep for days, in a good way, ’ said Stones. ‘I was taking all the s*** off their fans coming up to my face (during the pitch invasion) so it was nice to get my own back. It was crazy, the maddest ever. ’ York celebrate with the trophy after the most dramatic of victories at Rochdale The National League has seen some close title races over the years, but seldom anything quite like this. York finish on 108 points and Rochdale on 106. Having lost out to Barnet last season despite earning 96 points, it would have been soul-destroying for York to drop into the play-offs again having performed so well. That’s the fate awaiting Rochdale, who will face Southend or Scunthorpe a week on Sunday despite finishing a country mile ahead of both. Manager Jimmy Mc Nulty and his players were too upset to speak after the game. A suggestion that the premature celebration and pitch invasion helped York to recover and hit back won’t help their mood.   It’s understood that Rochdale have no dispute over Stones’ equaliser being over the line as he cancelled out Dieseruvwe’s 95-minute goal, headed in from a cross from 41-year-old veteran Ian Henderson. Whatever the outcome here, it has only fuelled the debate over the #3UP campaign for two teams to be promoted automatically plus one form the play-offs. The two clubs issued a joint statement on the eve of this game and York have vowed to continue supporting the campaign. ‘It's a tragedy that we're both not going up, ’ said co-owner Julie-Ann Uggla. ‘I'm going to be rooting for Rochdale in the play-offs because I'd really love to be in League Two with them. Manager Stuart Maynard celebrates with Mark Kitching on the Crown Oil Arena pitch ‘When they scored I was basically in tears, then when we scored I was in tears for all the right reasons. It was the biggest emotional rollercoaster I think I've ever been on in my entire life. ’ Uggla was speaking after York lifted the trophy in front of their 1, 500 fans. Another 4, 500 were watching on big screens back home at the LNER Community Stadium. She and her son Matthew have ploughed in £6million to rescue The Minstermen and lead them out of non-league for the first time in a decade. ‘I don't even know how to explain the emotion that we're all feeling, ’ she added. ‘There are four Canadians in the Football League now. There's David Hopkinson, the CEO at Newcastle, Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham, and now there’s us. So watch out, Ryan, we're coming! ’

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