THEY dispatched top of the league Rochdale Hornets.

Now York City Knights player/assistant coach Mark Applegarth says the squad must hit the same heights every week.

Head coach James Ford's men were superb, particularly in a six-try first-half spree, in a 34-20 Kingstone Press League One victory last Sunday and, with London Skolars set to arrive in York this weekend, the prop forward is in no mood to let their newfound momentum slip.

"There was a great team spirit from the lads to get a top win against a top team who will be up there at the end of the year challenging," said Applegarth.

"We needed it. We made a key point, and we put ourselves under pressure this week, in saying we needed to get a victory against a top team. There's no better team to do it against than the league leaders.

"It is a big deal and we need to build on it now and start getting that consistency."

Applegarth admitted that criticism of the Knights as 'flat-track bullies', who struggled against the League's established outfits, had cut deep and had spurred the team on to prove the doubters wrong.

"I won't lie to you, it did a bit," he said when asked whether the barbs had hurt. "I know personally as a player that it does hurt when people say you are not quite good enough against those top teams. As a team, we did take it a little bit personally. That's not a bad thing. Sometimes it's good to have those external factors that drive you on.

"You can see that team spirit growing. We just need to keep building on that and string some back-to-back wins together - whether it is against a so-called expansion team or against one of the top teams. We could do with getting our own rhythm and a bit of consistency going as we go into the second half of the year."

On the challenge of Skolars, who are second bottom of the table having picked up just one victory so far this season, Applegarth added: "We played them at the start of the year and they are a big, physical team. It is not going to be an easy game. No game is easy. Everyone wants to get out of it (League One).

"You look at the Championship and that, for me, is going to be the most competitive league for the next two or three years. Everyone wants to be a part of it. You get in there and you get to be playing Super League teams, which is where we want to be.

"If things get sorted off the field, we will carry on building on it and, in the long term, it is scary where this club could go."

With the Knights still without a home, as work goes on to try and reintegrate the club into the Community Stadium scheme, Applegarth said the players "deserved" to have a proper base to train and play.

But he said of the current impasse: "I know there are people working their socks off behind the scenes trying to get this deal sorted - on both sides.

"As a playing group, we try to keep that separate and just let the lads focus on their rugby - and have faith in the people sorting that deal out to get it done. I am led to believe it is not too far off being sorted.

"You try and take positives out of every situation and it has made us very close as a group. As long as we have got a field to train on, and some steel to lift, it doesn't really bother us in that sense. But it would be good just to get that training base back re-established, so that lads can start getting in early and getting their extras done and knowing where they need to train."