TONIGHT'S eagerly-anticipated clash with promotion rivals North Wales Crusaders might have been billed by the club as York City Knights' biggest game of the year but head coach James Ford has very much played it down - saying it's worth the same as any other League One match.

Victory at Elmpark Way (7.30pm) would all but assure the Knights of a place in the play-offs, as Ford's men would then have to lose their three remaining games and suffer a major swing in points-difference to miss out on the top five.

But Ford has claimed - and this is hard to believe - that he has barely even looked at the table, insisting that performances will take care of the team's standing.

He also says his side, second in the table, will go into the game as underdogs, even though the Welshmen currently sit seventh.

"I've not looked at that," said Ford when asked about the play-off picture. "We're just looking at North Wales as an important game, and a game that we're capable of winning as long as we turn up and hit our standards.

"North Wales are a very good team and we know it will be a tough challenge. They are very physical and they play a lot of football as well.

"But we're getting used to these tough tests and to getting over barriers and we're looking forward to the challenge."

Asked if he had really not studied the table, he said: "We're just focusing on game by game. If we look after our performances and hit our standards, that will do me, and things will fall into place. If we hit our straps, I will be happy and we can see what it all brings."

As for the importance of the fixture, he said: "It's worth two points, like any other league game. It's the same value. Beating North Wales gets you the same points as beating South Wales (bottom of the table).

"They're a play-off rival, but it's two points. We won't be changing anything we do - it's a normal league game.

"We'll be looking to knock off a respected team at home and I expect it to be two good teams putting on a fantastic spectacle."

He added: "We're probably going into it as underdogs and people will be rooting for us.

"If you look at the two clubs, we've had to deal with all sorts of adversity and the boys have done remarkably well to be where they are.

"We're in a higher league position (than North Wales) but that could change quickly. It will be good to get everyone to come down to get behind us and help us knock off a team who have come down from the league above.

"They're in a false position in my opinion (in seventh). They came down from the Championship last year and they made a lot of friends in that division with how they set about their business.

"I know they've lost their last two games against two very good teams (Rochdale and Swinton) but that means they're going to come here full of desperation to make sure their season is still alive and back on track, and that makes them even more dangerous.

"They will test us mentally and physically and it will give us a real good indication of where we're at as a group."