CAPTAIN Marvel Jordan Ross is adamant last week’s disappointment has not deterred York City Knights – in fact it will act as another spur in their bid for glory.

The Knights face Blackpool at Huntington Stadium on Sunday vying for a place in the Championship One Grand Final, in what will be their second bite of the cherry following defeat in a thrilling qualifying semi-final at Oldham.

Some observers reckon the physical intensity of last week’s match, coupled with the disappointment, might have taken lots out of the Knights’ energy reserves.

However, Press Player of the Year contender Ross, pictured, is as upbeat as ever about his side’s promotion chances and believes the loss can act as a positive.

Another spur this weekend is the desire to avenge the “cowardly act” by Blackpool’s controversial prop, Andy Hobson, at the end of the last match between the sides, which left York’s Nathan Freer needing 11 stitches.

Ross said of the Oldham thriller: “It might have taken a bit out of us physically, but a week is a long time to recover – and we got a lot out of it.

“We know how it felt when we lost and we know we don’t want that to happen again.

“It’s another inspiration for us. There’s nobody in the camp who wants to feel like that, and that can work in our favour.

“Everyone has been upbeat. The Oldham game is gone. Another good thing is we all want another crack at them in the final because we know we can beat them.

“We realise that, but for a couple of unlucky bounces, we would’ve won last week – even with Oldham at full strength and performing at their best. If we fix a couple of areas we weren’t smart in, we will win.

“We’re not put off by that defeat at all. We’re still very confident.”

Blackpool would have finished above York in the table but for a ten-point deduction for breaching operational rules regarding overspending on players.

Ross added: “This will be a tough game.

“They’re a good side with a lot of good players. You can tell from the number of points they’ve scored they’re no mugs.

“But if we perform like we did last week, keep the same enthusiasm, and maybe be a bit smarter with a couple of things, I think they’ll struggle to compete against us.”

The notorious Hobson was handed a four-match ban for using his elbow/forearm in Freer’s face at the end of York’s narrow win over Blackpool on May 30, plus an additional match for a trip/kick in the same game.

Ross said his side, which should include injury doubt Luke Hardbottle after he came through training with no after-effects from his knee problem, wanted to get revenge in the best way – with victory.

“I saw what happened with Nathan and it was one of the most cowardly acts I’ve seen on a rugby league field.

“Nathan was not looking, the whistle had gone, and Hobson came in and elbowed him in the face.

“But the way I see it, the longer Hobson’s on the field, the better chance we’ve got. His discipline is appalling.

“We want to get our revenge on the scoreboard.

“But the game isn’t about him. They’ve got a lot of very good players all over the field. There’s a lot of strength, speed and ability and we will have to be good to beat them.

“But we’ve got a lot of very good players as well. We’re a big, physical team now, especially with the likes of Ryan Esders and Ian Bell with us. I would back those two against anyone. We will see if Blackpool can cope with us.”