It's a massive weekend in the Vanarama National League, as the season finale draws closer, with April 29th in sight now.

There are huge relegation six-pointers this Saturday, with Gateshead and Torquay clashing, each with the aim to find a quick escpape route out of the bottom four, before it is too late.

Down at the LNER Community Stadium is also a crucial fixture between York City and Dorking Wanderers, the latter just four points safe of the drop, while their hosts are two points ahead.

The Minstermen, still under the reign of interim manager Michael Morton, are desperately in need of a win of two to lead them in the direction of safety, but two defeats to Altrincham in the space of four days has really hampered confidence within the camp.

The Wanderers' last victory came a week ago on Tuesday, surprising Barnet on home turf, though they couldn't spring a shock at Notts County last week, putting them in an alarmingly must-win position.

While Dorking's poor defensive record has been an ever-present liability this season, their contrasting goalscoring form has just about kept them afloat in their first campaign in the fifth tier of English football.

August also marked a return back to the National League for City, who have spent an agonizingly five years away, but look to extend their stay in the division with an important three points on Saturday.

  • Team News

York City

The big talking point in the lead-up to this game has obviously been the national news of ex-Tottenham Hotspur full-back Danny Rose joining in training at Wiggington Road to build fitness, however interim boss Morton has dismissed the prospect of having the 32-year-old in a York shirt any time soon.

Goalkeeper Ethan Ross is expected to be back between the sticks following a concussion suffered last month.

Top scorer and skipper Lenell John-Lewis is likely to miss the upcoming fixture with a hamstring problem that kept him out of the squad on Tuesday too.

In his place is expected to be young loan star Shaqai Forde, who has been restricted to a start recently on his return from injury, but has been a goal machine since joining from Watford in December.

Left-back Alex Whittle remains injured, though will hopefully be back in training next week, while Nathan Thomas' long-term absence sees him out for the majority of the remainder of the season.

Defender Sam Sanders has departed on loan to Boston United until the end of the term, to help aid his recovery from injury.

Dorking Wanderers

Injuries aren't too much of a problem for Wanderers however there's the obvious long-term omission of star striker Alfie Rutherford who has been ruled out for the majority of the season, and isn't expected to play again this term.

Midfielder Alfie Egan is too suffering from an injury and is unlikely to appear at the LNER Community Stadium this weekend.

Dan Gallagher should be back from suspension, while Luke Moore heads in the opposite direction.

  • Likely Lineups

York City

Ross; Fallowfield, Ellis, Crookes, Duckworth; Pybus, Hancox, Dyson; Kouhyar, Forde, James

Dorking Wanderers

Lincoln, Philpott, Craig, Cook, B.J.Taylor, J.Taylor, Francomb, McShane, Wheeler, Ottaway, Prior

  • Key Players

Shaqai Forde (York City)

Arriving on loan from Watford back in late December, 18-year-old Shaqai Forde has really given Hornets fans something to look forward to in the future, with his goalscoring talent a special one.

The striker etched his name into Minstermen history, scoring a hat-trick on his home debut, and has also gone on to score four more times for York, all across eleven appearances, however just six of those being starts.

His incredible form will look to be continued this Saturday, in what is a huge game for the club.

Shaq Forde boasts brilliance in front of goal since joining York (Photo: Ryan Brookes)
Shaq Forde boasts brilliance in front of goal since joining York (Photo: Ryan Brookes)

Tony Craig (Dorking Wanderers)

It's another loan star that is the key man heading into this fixture, in Crawley Town defender Tony Craig, who has played every minute of all seven games since joining, becoming a solid part of Marc White's slowly improving defence.

The 37-year-old brings tons of experience with him to help out with Dorking's relegation battle, and has even been handed the captain's armband on a couple of occasions.

With only one clean sheet so far, he will be aiming to add his second in what could be a big result in North Yorkshire.

On loan from Crawley, Tony Craig has proved crucial to the Dorking defence (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)
On loan from Crawley, Tony Craig has proved crucial to the Dorking defence (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)
  • Previous Meetings

These two sides have only ever met once before, with that being Dorking's scrappy 1-0 win over managerless York back in November 2022.

You can view the highlights below:

  • Match Details

Where is the game being played?

This Vanarama National League clash will be hosted by York City's LNER Community Stadium.

It is set to be Dorking's first ever visit to the 8,500-seater venue.

What time is kickoff?

As with the majority of National League fixtures taking place on Saturday, the game will kick off at 3pm GMT.

The only exception is Woking vs Chesterfield, which begins at 12:30pm GMT, and has been selected for BT Sport live coverage.

How can I watch?

Tickets are available to purchase ahead of kickoff, and although it is not all-ticket, it is recommended to buy online, and in advance.

You can stream the match live on National League TV, but for international fans only.

BBC Radio York and York Hospital Radio will all be providing live commentary, while you can find social media updates from both clubs and Jorvik Radio.