York City manager Stuart Maynard has called the National League’s two-up, two-down arrangement “absolute madness” after eye-catching FA Cup displays by Forest Green Rovers and his own Minstermen against League One opposition.
York’s performance at Oakwell, coupled with Forest Green’s scare at Kenilworth Road, was held up as evidence that the fifth tier merits 3 promotion places into League Two in line with the rest of the pyramid.
Maynard: National League Standard ‘Gets Better Every Season’
Speaking after York’s spirited outing against Barnsley, Maynard said recent cup ties underline the quality and depth across the division and strengthen the long-running “3UP” campaign.
🔊 Volume 🆙 for that away end roar!
Go ‘Inside the City Walls’ for our trip to Oakwell. 📹
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— York City FC (@YorkCityFC) November 3, 2025
“It’s a great advert and with the campaign of ‘3UP’ from the National League, I think you’re really starting to see why,” he said. “I watched Forest Green at Luton and they came so close. And then you look at us.”
The York boss acknowledged that cup ties are 1-off occasions, but insisted his team’s levels are consistent week to week.
“I know they are one-off games and people can say over a season can you perform to that level,” he added.
“If you look at our performance levels since I’ve come through the door, we perform like that every week and play in the same manner against National League teams as we do against a League One team.
“The standard in the National League is getting better and better each season. I just think it’s absolute madness that they can’t have three up and three down.”
The National League currently promotes 2 clubs each season, 1 automatically and 1 via the play-offs, while 2 are relegated from League Two. Advocates of reform argue that an additional promotion place would better reflect competitive balance, reward ambitious clubs, and reduce the “bottleneck” at the top of the fifth tier, where several sides with EFL pedigree regularly contend.
Hourihane Salutes York as Cup Debate Reignites
Barnsley head coach Conor Hourihane praised York’s approach in their tie, noting the technical quality and intensity the Minstermen brought to Oakwell.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Hourihane said. “It never is against lower-down-the-pyramid teams. I’m just delighted for the lads that they pulled through. Credit to them (York), they were really good and have got some good players. A lot of them could play in the EFL, no question.”
📺 Highlights from our Emirates FA Cup First Round tie at Barnsley are now available to watch on YouTube.
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— York City FC (@YorkCityFC) November 2, 2025
Those comments echoed a growing recognition within the game that the gap between League Two and the National League has narrowed. Recent seasons have seen promoted clubs adapt rapidly to EFL demands, while several relegated sides have found the return uphill amid increasingly fierce competition.
The FA Cup, often a barometer of comparative strength, again provided a stage for National League sides to stand toe-to-toe with higher-tier opponents. Forest Green’s late surge at Luton Town and York’s resilience at Barnsley brought fresh momentum to the discussion, with coaches and supporters pointing to the pyramid’s founding principle of sporting merit.
For Maynard and York, the priority now shifts back to league business and harnessing the positivity from their cup performance. Yet his words add to a chorus pressing for change: align promotion and relegation with the rest of the professional tiers, open a third pathway into the EFL, and recognise the modern reality of a fifth tier that is deeper, fitter, and better prepared than ever.
However, surely if the National League and League Two gap was that small, Forest Green wouldn’t have been relegated in the first place?
