SKIPPER Pat Smith has admitted the ongoing off-field uncertainty at York City Knights is affecting the team's promotion chances - but he knows of not one player who has even contemplated quitting.

The homeless club's four-match winning run ended with defeat at Kingstone Press League One leaders Oldham on Sunday, which saw them drop back down to fifth in the table.

The race for the top-five promotion play-offs looks like getting increasingly fraught, too, but Smith reckons his side's togetherness - enforced by adversity - could leave them in better stead than their rivals in the second half of the campaign.

“If I was to say it has not affected the group I would be lying," said Smith of the community stadium saga, which continues to leave the club without a ground or training base.

“With a solid pre-season and training as had been planned, we would be further on.

“But the lads are a really good, honest bunch of people.

“I think other teams might have let it affect them, with people bickering or jumping ship, and the whole thing having a real negative effect.

“But in our first game of the year, we put 70 points on a team without having had a regular training base.

"It’s testament to us that it’s not affected us as much as it could have or as much as it might have affected another team.

“Personally I’m really happy at York, with how (head coach) James Ford runs the club and with a lot of things about the club.

“I want to play for York and I know a lot of my peers have the same sentiment."

Referring to his brother and team-mate, he added: “Ed and I counted it up the other day - we’ve had ten different training venues.

“You can’t say it’s not had an effect but it’s testament to the squad’s character and team spirit that we’re still competing with teams who haven’t had to go through this saga."

The Knights' next game, against Gloucestershire All Golds this weekend, has been switched to Saturday evening (6pm), and will be the third "home" match to be played at Heworth ARLC's Elmpark Way ground.

It is unclear how talks between club directors and the council are progressing with a view to getting the side back into the stadium plan, but Smith says the squad "deserve" the situation to be resolved soon.

“York needs a good professional rugby league team," he said.

“As a group we’re good ambassadors for the city and the lads deserve it to be sorted out."