COACH Mick Cook has often warned his York City Knights side will not be able to get away with the kind of comebacks that brought them the LHF Healthplan National League Two title last season. And the proof was in the pudding at Spotland.

Had the Knights played the first half like they did the second, they would have their first NL1 points on the board today.

As it was, they gave themselves too much ground to make up against a proven NL1 side like Rochdale Hornets.

A completion rate of just 38 per cent in that first half - including a woeful zero per cent in the second quarter - says it all.

The second period was a different game entirely and at one point it seemed the Knights were on their way to another of those surprise turnarounds as they upped the tempo and cut out the errors, but the Hornets showed why they have lost just one game all season with a late rally to turn the game back in their favour.

The day began badly for York as Dave Buckley was ruled out sick, leaving Cook down to the bare bones of a squad.

It got worse from the off as a penalty for offside gave Rochdale field position and Sam Butterworth easily stepped through, Mark McCully goaling.

The hosts looked a yard quicker until York winger Peter Fox's superb run brought the visitors a great chance only for Matt Blaymire's forced pass to be put down by Rob Spicer.

Nevertheless, Phil Hasty then found a gap and his break led to the equaliser, albeit with a bit of luck, when Lee Paterson's cut-out pass hit Jason Golden, who caught the ricochet and scored. Hasty converted well.

The Knights, though, shot themselves in the foot thereafter. Neil Law set the bad ball rolling by missing touch with a penalty and a free-kick the other way set up a Tommy Goulden try. Then Lee Lingard failed to deal with a chip to his corner and space down the other flank saw Chris Giles cross.

Big Joe Helme twice wasted excellent field position, once when he failed to pick up a loose pass, then when tackled into touch. Fellow sub prop David Bates also twice knocked-on loosely at play-the-balls in his own half.

York thought they had got away with it as Goulden had a second touchdown ruled out, but the next fumble set up a try for Paul Norman, and the 18-6 half-time scoreline would have been worse but for McCully's misfiring boot.

The Knights began the second half much better, though, and benefited from a blunder by Hornets full-back Paul Owen for Law to pounce.

A great power play then saw Golden halted just short but York were on top and playing at a high tempo, and they should have scored again when Law ignored his winger, Lingard, and went alone only to lose the ball.

Rochdale, too, missed a good chance as the game opened up but the Knights were right back in it as Paul Thorman scored, with Hasty goaling.

Thorman had begun the game at hooker as part of Cook's reshuffle which saw Jonny Liddell again prove his utility value by filling in for the crocked Buckley as a replacement back-rower.

Geordie Thorman had a decent game sharing hooking duties with Jamaine Wray - there was nothing flash but he capped intelligent play at dummy-half with that try, scrambling over from the play-the-ball to cut the gap to two points.

Rochdale were now making the errors but they got back into the groove to force consecutive drop-outs and score a fine 70th-minute try by centre Lee Patterson.

McCully found his shooting boots to convert and, if it wasn't game over then, it was when good hands ended with Paul Owen scoring under the posts immediately after.

Match facts

Hornets: Owen, McCully, Varkulis, Patterson, Giles, Butterworth, Firth, Benjafield, Cantillon, Sturm, Gorski, Doran, Goulden. Subs (all used): Gordon, Norman, Farrell, Ball.

Tries: Butterworth 3; Goulden 17; Giles 26; Norman 37; Patterson 70; Owen 72

Conversions: McCully 3, 70, 72.

Penalties: None.

Drop-goals: None.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

Knights: Blaymire 7, Lingard 6, Spicer 7, Law 6, Fox 8, Ripley 6, Hasty 7, Sullivan 7, Thorman 7, O'Loughlin 7, Smith 6, Golden 8, Paterson 6. Subs (all used): Wray 6, Liddell 7, Helme 5, Bates 5.

Tries: Golden 10; Law 49; Thorman 58.

Conversions: Hasty 10, 58.

Penalties: None.

Drop-goals: None.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

Man of the match: Peter Fox - one of the few players to shine in the first half and, while he had little scoring chances, he was a constant threat with his runs when helping out from and around dummy-half.

HT: 18-6.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven). Rating: Consistent - both sides had reason to complain.

Attendance: 906.

Penalty count: 7-5.

Gamebreaker: The Knights had a roll-on and another shock comeback looked possible until Rochdale dug deep, forced two drop-outs and scored through Lee Patterson to take them two scores ahead with ten minutes left.

Moment of the match: It's not nice to take pleasure from others' bloopers, but Neil Law's try, when home full-back Paul Owen miss-controlled a bomb with his feet, knocked it into the in-goal area, then lost it, was pretty entertaining.

Weather watch: Drizzle

Match rating: The second half was fast-flowing and exciting but the first half, from York's point of view, had been frustrating and costly.

Updated: 10:13 Monday, May 01, 2006