YORK City Knights boss James Ford has called for officials to crack down on rough-house tactics which he feels abound in League One.

Ford's men beat much-fancied Swinton Lions 26-16 last Sunday to go third in the table and set up a mouthwatering clash this weekend at an Oldham side who went top after leapfrogging Keighley on points difference.

However, the match at times threatened to get fractious as Swinton’s frustrations grew, culminating in Mick Govin being sent off nine minutes from time. And, having bemoaned spoiling tactics in previous matches this season, it sparked renewed calls from Ford for officials to tighten up on niggling, underhand or sometimes dangerous ploys in future games.

"On occasions I have been disappointed with the officials regarding that,” he said, arguing on-field discipline helps to promote a faster, more attractive spectacle for spectators.

“There’s a place in rugby league for physicality. It’s the officials’ job to manage it and make sure everything is on the right side of the line and that the game is played in the manner it should be.

"My team are easy to officiate but if you look at some of the consistent ill-discipline other teams serve up, I'm surprised officials don't clamp down on them sooner.

"We're aggressive in how we carry the ball and how we defend but we're disciplined.

"Conceding penalties and getting players sent off won't help the team move forward so we work hard on making sure our players are disciplined and play within the rules.

“If we can be well-disciplined, everyone should be well-disciplined.”

Asked if his comments regarded the Swinton match in particular, or even the upcoming game at Whitebank against an Oldham side who at times this season have lived up to their Roughyeds nickname, Ford said: “No, I’m talking about in the game generally.

“There are all sorts of attempts to slow the game down, pushing, shoving, backchat to the officials, general untidy stuff.

“There’s a ‘team warning’ rule for a reason and sometimes I’m bewildered why teams aren’t on a warning within ten minutes.”

Rochdale forward Tony Suffolk was last week slapped with a ten-match ban for a horror tackle on North Wales Crusaders player Alex Thompson which left the latter with a ruptured Achilles and damaged knee ligaments. The Rugby Football League tribunal ruled Suffolk had exerted "significant and unnecessary pressure on the opponent's legs by way of a forcible twist that had the potential for serious injury". He was not sent off.

By contrast, Ford reckoned Govin’s high shot on Jordan Howden, which earned his red card, was unintentional and he called for leniency on the Lions hooker from RFL beaks.

But of Swinton’s showing, he added: "Rugby league is always about being tough but there's a line and I thought occasionally they crossed that line.

"I'm full of admiration for the character of my group of players.

"They've kept their discipline under all sorts of bewildering calls and maybe not too clean rugby league from one or two Swinton players.”

Ford, meanwhile, insisted Swinton remained a team to be feared come the business end of the season, despite dropping to eighth.

Only three points separate first from seventh ahead of this weekend's matches, and Swinton are only two points further back.

Ford - who reckoned prior to last weekend’s match that the Lions were arguably the best team in the competition - said: “They are a good team. They will play better than that for the rest of the season. But we have to focus on ourselves.

“We got the two points and I’m happy with things we did but I think we can play better than that.”