IT'S not often that a 58-6 away win can be met with such subdued happiness.

But there were mixed feelings yesterday as York City Knights hammered London Skolars only to hear their automatic promotion chances were dealt a near fatal blow with the news leaders Barrow had beaten Sheffield.

Still, if it has to be the play-offs - Barrow have lowly Dewsbury and Gateshead to play so it looks likely - then it would be good to hit them running, and the Knights' fifth win on the bounce proves Richard Agar's men are in decent form at the business end of the season.

The next big test comes quickly, though, as Workington visit Huntington Stadium on Saturday - the test provided not just by in-form Town but also by the mental strain of knowing that, whatever happens, their bid for top spot now look likely to be in vain.

The Knights' test yesterday was passed pretty quickly.

Coach Richard Agar had demanded his players focused entirely on proceedings at New River Stadium, not Barrow, and this they did, even after the half-time announcement - made while the players rested on the far touchline rather than in the changing-rooms - proclaimed that the Raiders were well ahead.

Agar's men had scored five first half tries, ending the game as a contest pretty early, and did so again in the second period to prove their minds remained on the ball, even in the face of some dire spoiling tactics by the hosts which helped to turn the last 20 minutes into a bit of a stop-start farce.

Another good sign was the form of the half-backs.

Danny Brough's kicking game was again expert and, as expected, he upped the York RL goals-in-a-season record to 155, having started the day equal with Vic Yorke's 46-year-old record on 146. Scott Rhodes also bossed the show before limping off with what is hoped to be only a minor knee injury. Indeed, his exit, coupled with the resting of Lee Jackson, coincided with the disintegration of the game as a spectacle.

The opening score came on ten minutes, five minutes after Scott Walker - in for Austin Buchanan on the wing - had a try controversially disallowed for a knock-on as he pounced to touch down after Chris Langley had had the ball punched out of his hands. This time, Jackson saw the space and put a little grubber in for John Smith to score.

Rhodes then put Langley into a huge gap, Brough converting both tries and adding a penalty.

If it wasn't game over now it was when Mark Cain produced the moment of the match seconds after joining the fray.

He broke close to the right touchline, threw an outrageous dummy and then flipped the ball out of the back of the hand to give Walker a clear run to the line. It was top-drawer stuff, handily right in front of the main stand packed with York fans.

Skolars occasionally threatened but were let down by poor handling and even more so by indiscipline that not only gave the Knights plentiful ball, but also saw Brough punish them with deep kicks to touch.

The next such penalty led to a yellow card for stand-off Kurt Pittman and a second try for Langley, Jim Elston slipping him the scoring pass.

And the next saw full-back Jermaine Coleman hold down Elston when a try looked on and thus join Pittman in the bin, with Brough's quick grubber putting Rhodes in.

Knights, on the other hand, were largely mistake-free and, whenever Skolars did break, they quickly tightened up close to their line to keep a clean sheet that was only dirtied soon after the break.

That score came after Walker had a second try disallowed, this time for offside at Cain's grubber.

That was the first penalty awarded against York all game, and the second, moments later, led to the hosts' try, James McFadyen brushing off Jackson to stroll through, Pittman converting.

The comeback was short-lived as Walker this time stayed on-side, touched back Rhodes' chip and Langley completed his hat-trick of run-ins.

Langley turned provider as his fine break down the right saw the ball transferred left where Brough's long pass saw Chris Spurr power over. It was the first try to come down the left and the first which Brough failed to convert.

Jackson made it easier for him as he dug over under the sticks, but Walker was not so forthcoming as he touched down his second valid try - and York's ninth in 52 one-sided minutes - in the corner.

The game thereafter became a messy stop-start affair, with the only respite coming from occasional glimpses of class and a late try by Yusuf Sozi, who powered over following Coleman's second yellow card for back-chat, with Brough's ninth goal ending the scoring.

Skolars: Coleman, Aggrey, S Singleton, Green, Gardiner, Pittman, Hannan, Parillon, Honor, Smits, Jonker, McFadyen, Cantoni. Subs (all used): R Singleton, Wallis, Aderiye, Joyce.

Try: McFadyen 45.

Conversion: Pittman 45.

Penalties: None.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: Pittman 30; Coleman 39, 75.

Knights: C Smith 7, Walker 7, Langley 8, Spurr 7, Farrell 7, Rhodes 8, Brough 8, Wilson 7, Jackson 8, Sullivan 7, Ramsden 7, J Smith 8, Friend 8. Subs (all used): Elston 8, Cain 8, Sozi 7, Forsyth 7.

Tries: Smith 10; Langley 17, 32, 49; Walker 24, 62; Rhodes 40; Spurr 53; Jackson 56; Sozi 77.

Conversions: Brough 10, 17, 24, 32, 40, 49, 56, 77.

Penalties: Brough 22.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

Man of the match:

Chris Langley - ran well, tackled well and came up with a hat-trick of tries.

HT: 0-32

Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury).

Rating: Was tested and did okay in the circumstances.

Penalty count: 8-15.

Gamebreaker: Knights' third try with 24 minutes gone ended the game as a contest.

Attendance: 650 (estimated).

Weather watch: Down-pitch wind and brief first-half shower.

Match rating: Good first hour, scrappy last 20.

Updated: 08:43 Monday, August 30, 2004