York City add firepower as Joe Grey arrives from Hartlepool United

York City have signed forward Joe Grey from Hartlepool United to strengthen their attack ahead of the new National League season.

The 22-year-old joined the Pools as a youngster back in 2019 before breaking into the first team in the 2020/21 campaign, helping his side to League Two promotion through the play-offs.

Across two seasons in the Football League, he made 45 appearances.

Overall, Grey has featured in more than 155 games for Hartlepool, scoring 24 goals and providing 16 assists.

York’s latest arrival and Moors confirm cup entry

His best season came in the 2024/24 National League campaign, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists as his side finished 12th in the table.

Grey becomes the seventh summer signing for Adam Hinshelwood’s side, joining Ben Brookes, Hiram Boateng, Mark Kitching, Alex Newby, Ollie Banks, and Ash Palmer.

Heading the other way, the club also confirmed the departure of Cameron John, who joins the Pools on a season-long loan.

In other news, Solihull Moors have announced they will enter the National League Cup this season, reversing their decision from last year when they opted out of the inaugural competition.

Chairman Darry Eales explained: “Last season we opted out of the competition as we were unclear on how the competition format would operate.

“Having spoken to a number of clubs who did participate, the view was generally positive about the competition and the relatively flexible rules regarding team selection.

“On this basis, and with further development of the rules and the match schedule, one extra game per month pre Christmas, we felt that participating was justified, especially in developing our younger players.”

Group stage draw for the National League Cup

At the same time, the Enterprise National League has announced the group stage draw for the 2025/26 National League Cup, featuring 16 teams from the National League and Premier League 2.

The tournament aims to provide extra competitive matches and greater exposure for clubs and players, while offering opportunities for squad rotation and player development.

As the cup enters its second season, clubs remain divided – some see it as a valuable platform to test squad depth and build momentum, while others are prioritising promotion ambitions and opting out to avoid fixture congestion.

So far, Carlisle United, Yeovil Town, Eastleigh, Altrincham, York City, Hartlepool United, and Southend United have all declined to take part.

The groups are as follows:

Group A
Blackburn Rovers
Burnley
Everton
Manchester United
Morecambe
Rochdale
Solihull Moors
Tamworth

Group B
Leicester City
Nottingham Forest
West Bromwich Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Braintree Town
Brackley Town
Forest Green Rovers
Wealdstone

Group C
Brighton & Hove Albion
Fulham
Southampton
West Ham United
Aldershot Town
Sutton United
Truro City
Woking

Group D
Leeds United
Middlesbrough
Newcastle United
Sunderland
Boston United
FC Halifax Town
Gateshead
Scunthorpe United

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The competition will consist of a group stage (four groups of eight), with the two best-placed teams in each group advancing to a knock-out stage to determine the winner.

All National League Cup fixtures will be played at the home ground of the National League club involved in the fixture.

National League clubs will retain all the gate receipts from these fixtures.

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