Promotion pandemonium: Fifth-tier team goes up after premature pitch invasion

Jason Sargent Saturday, April 25, 2026

Jon Arnold, USA TODAYSat, April 25, 2026 at 6:15 PM UTC

They thought it was all over. It wasn't.

Rochdale fans flooded onto the field at the Crown Oil Arena in the 95th minute, joining the celebrations after Emmanuel "Mani" Dieseruvwe headed in a floated ball that gave his team the 1-0 lead and put The Dale up in the English Football League again. Except it didn't.

Once the fans were cleared from the field and play resumed, York City found a 103rd-minute equalizer that puts The Minstermen in League Two, the fourth division of English soccer.

After a chaotic sequence in the box, Josh Stones put a shot over the line before Rochdale's goalkeeper tried to sweep it out. The referee awarded the goal, and York City was able to celebrate their promotion, with a draw good enough to finish on 108 points, two more than second-place Rochdale.

"I thought we were done. I'm not going to lie," Stones told DAZN. "My eyes just lit up. I didn't think the ref was gonna give it, but it was miles over the line."

With the last-day victory, York City wins the National League and is back in the EFL for the first time in a decade.

"The players are warriors," York City manager Stuart Maynard told DAZN. "When (Rochdale) scored, our players came over to the bench and said there is one last chance in us. We've done that all year."

Rochdale maintain hope of a return to the EFL setup, moving into a May 3 playoff semifinal against either Scunthorpe United or Southend United. The winner of that game moves to the final for the right to become the other promoted team.

Once again, Rochdale will expect to be supported by a crowd of more than 7,000 fans at the venue formerly known as Spotland Stadium. This time, though, they will keep of the pitch until the final whistle blows.