York City Knights boss Gary Thornton revels in 'fortress' Huntington Stadium (From York Press)

York City Knights boss Gary Thornton revels in 'fortress' Huntington Stadium

11:50am Monday 11th March 2013 in Sport By Peter Martini, peter.martini@thepress.co.uk

GARY THORNTON reckons his York City Knights side are a match for any Kingstone Press Championship team on home turf after seeing his injury-hit troops demolish Workington Town 48-6 at Huntington Stadium yesterday.

It was the Knights’ biggest win since the record 132-0 Challenge Cup rout of Northumbria University two years ago, and their biggest league win since a 60-12 Championship One romp at Gateshead in June 2010.

It also took Thornton’s new-look team to eight points from six games this season, one more than in the entire 2012 campaign.

“I’m obviously delighted with the result. From one to 17 they were outstanding,” said the head coach.

“We worked really hard in midweek getting the game plan sorted out and it worked to a ‘T’. It was a faultless first half and we kicked on in the second half.

“I’m pleased for the boys. They’ve been working really hard. They had three tough games – against Batley, Halifax and Sheffield – and to react here at home and to come up with such a good performance and a good win is great. I’m delighted for the players.

“At Sheffield, at times we looked well beaten. Here at home I think we’re a match for anybody in this division.”

Thornton said of Workington: “We highlighted to the players in midweek what a big side they are. But we thought we could use that to our advantage, by playing a fast game and getting them on the back foot, knowing they might tire.

“That was the plan, to keep turning them around, and it worked a treat.

“I was disappointed with their try – it was a bit of a flukey effort. No disrespect to Workington but it would have been nice to have a zero next to their name. I thought we deserved that because the defence was tremendous.

“There was a ten or 15-minute period when we went off the rails a little bit and gave them a sniff, but we were never in danger of losing.”

Town joint-coach Gary Charlton, whose side have blown hot and cold so far this term, said: “York have given us a touch up. They played with energy and go- forward. We can’t play any worse than that I don’t think. We never built anything out there, but all credit to York – they played well, got good play-the-balls and shifted it wide and we couldn’t handle it.”