Match Reports

Knights hold off late Swinton fightback to go third

Sunday 7th April - Betfred Championship

Published: 8 April, 2019 - 12:20 pm

York City Knights equalled a modern club record of 6 wins in a Betfred Championship season yesterday, but were made to work hard for it by determined visitors Swinton Lions at a chilly Bootham Crescent. Knights Head Coach James Ford brought back a number of players who sat out the cup win at Barrow last week, with Liam Salter, Ben Cockayne, Connor Robinson, Graeme Horne, Joe Batchelor and Ronan Dixon, along with fit-again Jason Bass and Toronto Wolfpack loanee Nick Rawsthorne, who had been due his second club debut last week before pulling up in the warm-up. Captain Tim Spears broke... ...Read The Article

Knights progress after impressive Barrow victory

Sunday 31st March - Coral Challenge Cup

Published: 1 April, 2019 - 1:36 pm

A much changed York City Knights team produced a superb performance in Cumbria yesterday to beat Barrow Raiders 16-32 and progress to round five of the 2019 Coral Challenge Cup. With one eye on maintaining the Knights impressive form in the Betfred Championship, head coach James Ford rested a number of key players after a bruising opening two months of the season. Ben Cockayne, Graeme Horne, Liam Salter, Connor Robinson, cup tied Joe Batchelor and Ronan Dixon all sat this one out with Marcus Stock, Dave Petersen and Mike Kelly all coming in, and young Kevin Brown produced a man... ...Read The Article

Knights downed by soaring Eagles

Sunday 24th March - Betfred Championship

Published: 24 March, 2019 - 6:46 pm

Sheffield Eagles produced a gutsy performance to inflict York City Knights second defeat of the season at a blustery Bootham Crescent today. Both teams were in good form ahead of the match each having won five of their opening six Betfred Championship games – sitting third and fourth on the ladder respectively – and it was the visitors who came away with the spoils here, inspired by veteran half back Anthony Thackeray. Knights Head Coach James Ford had made four changes to the team that beat Halifax last week, bringing in wing Perry Whiteley who had recovered from a migrane... ...Read The Article

Knights hammer Fax to continue dream run

Sunday 17th March - Betfred Championship

Published: 17 March, 2019 - 7:08 pm

York City Knights put last week’s late postponement dramas at Rochdale behind them by producing a top drawer performance to beat Halifax at a sunny Bootham Crescent – their fitch consecutive Betfred Championship victory. James Ford welcomed forwards Tim Spears and Sam Scott back into the team for their first appearances of the season, but winger Perry Whiteley pulled up just moments before kick off with a migraine. For Halifax Ben White came in for former York player Ben Johnston in the halves, and Will Maher replaced Liam Cooper in the pack. Despite letting Halifax’s kick off bounce out, the... ...Read The Article

Knights edge Leigh in one point thriller!

Sunday 3rd March - Betfred Championship

Published: 4 March, 2019 - 4:35 pm

York City Knights produced another monumental defensive effort in the driving rain at Bootham Crescent yesterday to claim a thrilling one point victory over Leigh Centurions and continue their dream start to the 2019 Betfred Championship season. The Knights now sit third on the Championship ladder thanks to four wins from their opening five games. Head Coach James Ford made three changes to the team that won at Bradford Bulls last week, with Perry Whiteley replacing the injured Ash Robson, Josh Jordan Roberts returned from a concussion to replace Brad Hey in the back row, and Jack Blagbrough returned to... ...Read The Article

Knights topple Bulls to continue dream Championship start

Sunday 24th February - Betfred Championship

Published: 25 February, 2019 - 11:50 am

York City Knights continued their fine start to the 2019 Betfred Championship season by coming from behind to beat Bradford Bulls 14-24 at a sunny Odsal Stadium yesterday. It was the Knights second consecutive league victory at Odsal, and their third victory from the opening four rounds to leave them in third place on the ladder after a thrilling opening month to the season. Head Coach James Ford made two changes from the team that beat Barrow 56-0 last week: Brad Hay replaced Josh Jordan-Roberts in the back row who sat out with concussion, and Marcus Stock replaced Jack Blagbrough... ...Read The Article

UPDATED WITH HIGHLIGHTS: Flawless Knights stun Barrow

Sunday 17th February - Betfred Championship

Published: 17 February, 2019 - 6:55 pm

York City Knights put the rest of the Betfred Championship on notice today by producing a scintillating nine try performance against Barrow Raiders at a sunny Bootham Crescent. It was the Knights first victory in 14 attempts against their Cumbrian opponents – a run stretching back to June 2007 – but that hoodoo was put to bed in emphatic fashion as York rose to third place in the Championship table after round three. York – led out by veteran Ben Cockayne in his 350th career appearance – had showed four changes to the side that came back to win at... ...Read The Article

Resilient Knights earn comeback victory at Dewsbury

Sunday 10th February - Betfred Championship

Published: 13 February, 2019 - 1:01 pm

York City Knights pulled themselves off the canvas in spectacular fashion on Sunday, coming from 16-0 down after 55 minutes to earn a thrilling 22-26 victory at Dewsbury Rams in the Betfred Championship. Head Coach James Ford made only one change to the side that pushed Toronto Wolfpack close in the opening round, with Marcus Stock replacing Dave Petersen in the 17 – the former Hemel packman making his debut off the bench with Graeme Horne starting in Petersen’s stead at loose-forward. Dewsbury took full advantage of having a strong wind and low winter sun on their backs in the first... ...Read The Article

Brave Knights fall to Wolfpack

Sunday 3rd February -

Published: 6 February, 2019 - 6:24 pm

York City Knights produced a monumental defensive effort against competition favourites Toronto Wolfpack, but it wasn’t quite enough as they fell to a 0-14 defeat at a freezing Bootham Crescent on the opening day of the 2019 Betfred Championship season. The Knights rarely looked like scoring but kept damages to a minimum until the closing stages, with Gary Wheeler the only try scorer in the first 69 minutes. Matty Russell crossed to double the visitors’ advantage – albeit contentiously as he finished off a move that looked to have contained a forward pass – and Joe Mellor finished the job... ...Read The Article

Morale-boosting win for York City Knights over Dewsbury Rams

Saturday 19th January - Pre-Season

Published: 30 January, 2019 - 4:00 pm

By Peter Martini for YorkPress.com York  City Knights notched a morale-boosting win in their final pre-season outing prior to their return to the Championship – dismissing Dewsbury Rams with a 34-0 victory at Bootham Crescent. The League One champions scored three tries in the first half and four in the second – some of them crackers – and, perhaps most pleasingly, kept the Rams to zero throughout. However, head coach James Ford was far from getting carried away, especially given the visitors were missing a number of first-teamers. The challenge to be posed next time out – by full-timers and title... ...Read The Article