Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick relishing the prospect of taking on big spenders York

The Minstermen splashed out a rumoured £350,000 to sign frontman Josh Stones, who impressed against Pools while on loan at Oldham last season, in January. That was despite the fact York already had the National League's leading scorer Ollie Pearce, who has bagged 21 goals in 33 games this term, on their books. While the exact fee for Stones, who has scored four goals in nine appearances for York, is hotly debated, few would dispute that Adam Hinshelwood's side have one of the biggest budgets in the league.

The Minstermen are, like Pools, one of a number of former Football League clubs languishing in the National League. It's been a difficult few years for York, who have spent 11 of the last 20 seasons in the fifth division and even spent five seasons in the National League North as the club battled against off-field issues. Yet things are looking up for the Minstermen, who moved into the impressive York Community Stadium in 2021 and have some of the National League's most hands-on, engaged and, crucially, well-resourced owners in Julie-Anne and Matthew Uggla. York will need to go some to pip leaders Barnet, who are six points clear heading into the weekend, to the league title, but it feels like only a matter of time before the Minstermen return to the promised land of the Football League.

At the moment, most Pools fans are looking on enviously. The fact is that it is very difficult for a side like Pools to compete with some of the wealthiest teams in the division. In recent seasons, sides like Wrexham, Notts County, Chesterfield and Stockport, all with considerable war chests, have dominated the division. While the National League's '3UP' campaign, which advocates for another promotion place, is gaining significant momentum, the division is extremely difficult to get out of, especially without one of the league's biggest budgets.

Yet Limbrick, who has endured a difficult start since replacing veteran Lennie Lawrence at the beginning of the month, admits he feels as though having sides with both big budgets and formidable reputations makes one of the country's most competitive divisions even more exciting.

"There are always a handful of teams in this league with big budgets who are looking to challenge for promotion," he said.

"Look at Chesterfield, Wrexham, Grimsby, Notts County, having those sort of teams in the division makes the league exciting. You want to play against the biggest sides in the league and I think you could argue that there are a few teams in the league this year that are Football League teams in terms of budget, squad size and quality of players. York are one of those, and they'll be looking to get up this year."