Chorley are punching above their weight in the National League North

Chorley head across the Roses border this weekend to take on the Minstermen in a crucial National League North play-off clash.

A former Football League club for many years, full-time outfit City are arguably the biggest and most illustrious club in the division, if not across non-league as a whole.

Earlier this year, they moved from their traditional home at Bootham Crescent into a state-of-the-art 8,500 capacity all-seater stadium.

The Magpies’ facilities and infrastructure certainly do not compare but Vermiglio revealed he and his players use that to their advantage.

While they may be seen as unfashionable, Chorley continue to be a force to be reckoned with and head into this weekend’s fixture in third spot – seven points and eight places above their opponents.

“The expectations for a club like York City are phenomenal,” said Vermiglio.

“They have dropped down and they are a little bit stagnant at the moment – they are probably not making as much progress as they want to and what the fans would expect, but that is what’s happening.

"These teams who have been relegated from the divisions above, they are finding it so difficult to get out because part-time teams like ourselves are getting more and more competitive.

“Players are more health conscious these days, doing their own work away from training. So although there is a stark difference between full-time and part-time when it comes to tactics and recovery, there is probably not a massive difference in terms of the physical conditioning of players.

“York are a team that everybody raises their game against. When you go to their stadium – and see what they have got, you just think, ‘Wow’!

“It’s brand, spanking new, they have got training facilities, restaurants, executive boxes.

“We are training on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday – carrying our goalposts so we can train, begging, stealing and borrowing balls because our old ones are broken or are carrying water, a broken shower, heating that doesn’t work.

“But then we are off competing against York City on the Saturday– it does put it into perspective but it helps create that backs-to-the-wall mentality.

“I think that goes for all levels of football when you see the Premier League and the lesser fancied teams going to places like Liverpool and getting a result.”

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