Hereford United will be renewing acquaintance with a couple of old friends this season when York City and Carlisle United make their Nationwide Conference debuts.

Carlisle, who had such a disastrous start to the 2003-4 that their relegation was virtually sealed by the New Year, rallied substantially in the second half of the season to the extent that, in the bookmakers' eyes at least, they are the favourites to lift the title next April.

York, however, have undergone such a financial battering in recent times that their fans are grateful that they have a team to watch at all in the new season.

The Bulls have not lined up against the Minstermen in league action since 1992-3 when York achieved promotion from Division 3, along with Cardiff, Wrexham and Barnet, through the play-offs.

Honours are pretty much even in the 24 league games between the sides which resulted in nine wins for Hereford, 10 for York and five draws.

York's first competitive trip to Edgar Street in April 1974 - there had been a couple of encounters prior to, and during, United's first league season in 1972-3 - brought a rare visit from the BBC Match of the Day cameras to see the sides battle out a fairly tame goalless draw.

More recently, York became victims of football's most celebrated non-league giantkillers when Leroy May's goal gave the Bulls a slender 1-0 victory in the first round of the FA Cup back in 1999-2000.

Hereford's last away victory as a Football League club was achieved at Brunton Park when, in one of the 1996-7 season's more surprising results, Adrian Foster's hat-trick and a last-minute penalty save by Trevor Wood helped the Bulls to a 3-2 success over soon-to-be-promoted Carlisle.

The result was a revenge for Carlisle's last-minute success at Edgar Street earlier in the season. If United had managed to avoid defeat to Wayne Aspinall's goal on that afternoon just before Christmas, their last-day-of-the-season draw with Brighton would have been enough to avoid relegation - but football is full of similar 'if onlys'.

In 22 games between the sides, Hereford currently have the edge with nine wins to Carlisle's eight, with five ending in draws.

If Carlisle were almost relegated to the Conference by the New Year then, by the same time, Canvey Island had given a strong indication that they would be coming up from the Ryman League Premier Division.

The Essex side's tally of 32 wins from 46 league games, and 106 goals, saw them comfortably ahead of nearest challengers Sutton United.

And only a surprise defeat by Hednesford in the final of the FA Trophy prevented them from completing a memorable double.

United's travelling fans will have an early opportunity to look at the other promoted side with their first away match scheduled at Crawley Town on the season's first Tuesday.

Crawley were comfortable winners of last season's Dr Martens League title, holding off the challenge of second-placed Weymouth by 12 points.