Josh Stones Stuns Rochdale as York City F.c. Win Title in 103rd Minute

york city f.c. won the National League title and sealed promotion to the EFL on April 25, 2026, after Josh Stones scored in the 103rd minute at Rochdale. The equaliser turned a final-day match York only needed to draw into the finish that ended a decade away from the EFL.

Rochdale Took The Lead

Rochdale had gone ahead in the 95th minute through Emmanuel Dieseruvwe’s header, and the visitors were suddenly staring at a title they no longer controlled. Stones called it “Heartbreak when they scored,” before York went back at the game and found one more chance.

That chance came after a late attack that started with Ryan Fallowfield clipping a cross to the back post. Callum Howe won the header, Oliver Whatmuff beat the ball away to his left, and Stones drove a first-time shot that Tyler Smith blocked just behind the line before the assistant referee signalled a goal.

York City’s Final-Day Pressure

York had arrived needing one point from the final-day match to win the title, and the numbers behind their season explained why they were in that position. They finished the first 45 league games with 107 points and 113 goals, a record that still left the title hanging until the last seconds at Rochdale.

The match also played out in front of 1,590 travelling York fans, and there were pitch invasions after both goals, which turned the stoppage after Rochdale’s opener into part of the story. Stones said, “but this team always believes. We never give up, and we deserved that.”

Uggla And Stones React

Julie-Anne Uggla called the afternoon “It was the biggest emotional rollercoaster I’ve ever been on in my entire life,” and added, “When Rochdale scored, I was basically in tears. Then, when we scored, I was in tears for a whole other reason.” The title closed the club’s decade-long wait to return to the EFL, and it did so with one last attack after everything had seemed to swing the other way.

Stones summed up the edge in the ground after the final whistle, saying, “I was taking all that s**t from their fans (during the pitch invasion following Rochdale’s goal), coming up to my face. (It was) Nice to give it them back.”