Ashley Palmer, who has won promotion from the National League twice previously, has joined York City, who finished second in the fifth tier last season, as per the club’s official website.
Who Is Ashley Palmer?
Palmer spent time in the Barnsley youth academy before joining Scunthorpe United and making two appearances for the Iron in the 2011/12 season.
The centre-back struggled to establish himself in the EFL as a youngster and he had to drop into the National League North with the likes of Hinckley United and Droylsden United in search of more regular minutes.
His major breakthrough in senior football came in the 2015/16 season with North Ferriby United. The Englishman made 41 league appearances and scored three goals as his team were promoted from the sixth tier via the playoffs.
He then spent two years with Guiseley as a regular starter in the National League, playing 73 times for the Lions.
Palmer then chose to drop back into the National League North with Stockport County. He made a staggering 164 appearances for the Hatters, helping them to earn promotion from both the sixth and the fifth tier, scoring 15 goals in that time.
The England C international fell out of favour at Edgeley Park upon Stockport’s return to the EFL, playing just six times in the first part of the 2022/23 season.
This led to him moving to Chesterfield, where he has spent the last two-and-a-half seasons.
His first few months with the Spireites ended in heartbreak as they were defeated in the National League playoff final at Wembley.
But, Palmer and co. bounced back brilliantly, dominating the National League in the 2023/24 season and comfortably securing promotion to the EFL.
The centre-back again found himself out of contention for a regular starting spot, though Paul Cook did start him 15 times in League Two, perhaps due to the injury crisis which the Derbyshire-based side faced.
The 32-year-old performed admirably when called upon, winning a higher percentage of tackles, duels and aerial duels than 89% of League Two centre-backs and getting a crucial assist in a two-one victory over Newport County.
Writer’s View
It will be interesting to see where Palmer fits in at York next season given how impressive Callum Howe and Malachi Walcott were in the centre of defence.
But, the Minstermen will have learned that you need excellent squad depth in order to win a National League title and Palmer provides excellent ability and experience, which will be useful both on and off the pitch.
The centre-back’s arrival may even give Adam Hinshelwood and co. the option of switching to a back three or playing Walcott as a right-back and Joe Felix as a midfielder next campaign.
