Police have confirmed they are aware of a video circulating on social media that appears to show a York City player striking a fan following the club's dramatic promotion to League Two on Saturday.
Incident during pitch invasion
York City secured their place in the Football League with a thrilling 1-1 draw against promotion rivals Rochdale. The match at Spotland saw a pitch invasion after Rochdale's Emmanuel Dieseruvwe scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but the game continued. York equalised in the 103rd minute through Josh Stones to snatch the only automatic promotion spot, finishing top of the National League with 108 points to Rochdale's 106.
During the chaotic scenes, a fan was seen placing his hands on a York player who was on his knees with his head on the ground. Two stewards intervened, but the player broke free and appeared to punch the supporter in the face. Greater Manchester Police issued a statement: "We are aware of a video that is circulating of a possible assault involving a player and we have linked in with both clubs and the National League. We will be further assessing the video and reviewing CCTV of the incident."
Manager's reaction
York boss Stuart Maynard suggested the six-minute delay to clear the pitch helped his team regroup. "That time to reflect helped us," he said. "It's twice in two weeks, we've had our heart broken that we've had one hand firmly gripped on the trophy and it got taken away for all of 60 seconds. But they're a group of winners. They keep going all the way to the end."
Play-off picture
Rochdale, who have launched a three-up campaign in the National League, will now enter the play-offs for a place in League Two. They have earned an automatic spot in the semi-finals and will face either Scunthorpe United or Southend United, who meet in an eliminator on Tuesday evening.
