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."OH MY WORD 🤯🤯🤯🤯YORK HAVE EQUALISED IN THE 102ND MINUTE TO WIN PROMOTION 😱Watch LIVE NOW at https://t.co/17IGNhwWu5 📺 pic.twitter.com/GSexKSCwht— National League on DAZN (@DAZN_NationalLg) April 25, 2026With 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.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: York City snatches promotion after Rochdale pitch invasion