YES, I have regrets - but taking the York City Knights job is not one of them.

So said head coach James Ford ahead of racking up 100 matches as head coach of the League One club.

Sunday's home clash with Workington will see the 35-year-old reach a century of games, after a rollercoaster ride since hanging up his boots and taking the reins at the end of 2014.

Asked about his time in charge, Ford - who has taken his team to the play-offs in each of his three full seasons in charge - says the memorable shock win over supposedly invincible full-timers Toronto Wolfpack last season had to be among the highs, while the extra-time defeats in play-off semi-finals were obvious lows.

The off-field troubles of 2015 and 2016 - when the club were rendered homeless and then came close to closing - also brought "adversity" aplenty for the then rookie coach.

But he even put a positive spin on that, insisting getting through it and then rebuilding under the new regime brought immense pride.

Asked for his favourite games of the 99 so far, Ford said: "The victory over Toronto (in July 2017) has to be right up there.

"The club did a really good job of promoting the game and we were huge underdogs on the day.

"I don't think anyone outside of the team gave us a chance, but we felt it all week that we would be right on it - and we were.

"It was a tremendous effort, and something I'm really proud of."

On the low points, he said: "Probably the ones I remember the most are the golden-point defeats to Swinton and Whitehaven (in play-off semi-finals in 2015 and 2017).

"They were absolutely immense efforts from the boys and seeing a team that had given absolutely everything not quite getting that they deserved was hard.

"I'm sure at some point I will have a team that ends on the other side of that."

Along with those painful defeats, York's class of 2016 also lost the League One Cup final to Keighley to a last-minute try.

Ford said: "The Keighley one - I don't think we played anywhere near the standards we had seen before that game.

"We probably didn't deserve to be in front at the end, but, having said that, it was tough to concede one in the last minute like that.

"Those are the experiences that develop character as a person.

"I don't cherish those moments but I will be able to draw on them at some point."

He also included the off-field strife in that.

"There were tough times," he explained. "I learned a lot about myself in that period. Going through adversity and being in difficult circumstances provides an opportunity to show some resilience and character.

"It was a tough period but I'm proud that we got through it and that we're moving in the right direction at the minute."

Asked if he had regrets in his 99 outings, he reasoned: "Plenty!

"People make mistakes regularly. Team selection, substitutions, managing players' loads, setting up a team - a real honest reflective coach will put their hand up and say if they could go back and change things, they would.

"That's how you improve - you learn from it and move on.

"But I certainly have no regrets coming to York. I've loved almost every minute of it.

"It's been a tremendous challenge at times but overall I'm really enjoying my work at York, working with the people and the players here, and it's been a delight to see so many players improve."

Ford first arrived at then Championship club York in April 2011 as a player, joining from Widnes.

Sometimes hampered by injuries, the centre made 57 appearances in all until the end of 2014, scoring 23 tries.

He took charge of the old academy and reserve teams in that time as he got onto the coaching ladder, also being Gary Thornton's number two in 2014, before hanging up his boots and taking over.

He has bagged 63 wins and two draws in his 99 games in charge to date.

Players who have played under Ford and gone on to play Super League include Greg Minikin and Kriss Brining - both of whom came through the youth set-up under Ford - and Colton Roche. Liam Harris, who made his name at York on dual-reg from Hull KR last season, is also now at Hull FC.

Second-row Joe Batchelor, the 2017 Player of the Year, will join them in the top flight, too, having agreed a move to St Helens at the end of the season.

Ford has been touted as a future Super League coach himself and last month was named an assistant-coach for the England Academy team.