"GEE, I hope he was sure, because nobody else in the ground was."

So said York City Knights boss James Ford after referee Chris Leatherbarrow broke home hearts by awarding North Wales Crusaders a late penalty to halt an amazing comeback and decide a classic encounter at Elmpark Way.

The Knights, knowing victory would all but guarantee a play-off place, trailed 28-0 at half-time after an error-strewn first period, but in an incredible turnaround drew level with six minutes left.

From the restart, though, Micky Learmonth was penalised for allegedly pulling an opponent's leg at a ruck - with the Knights in possession - and Tommy Johnson kicked the decisive two-pointer for a 30-28 win which bolsters the injury-hit Crusaders' own play-off hopes.

Said Ford: "It was a strange decision. It was maybe a 50-50 which could either way, but at that part of the game, with the game in the balance, ten metres off our line near our posts? Gee, I hope he was sure, because nobody else in the ground was."

Ford bemoaned his team's first-half performance which was littered with mistakes but was "full of praise and admiration" for their fightback, saying it showed mental strength which will stand them in good stead in the promotion scrap.

"We didn't get an opportunity in the first half because of the errors we made," he said.

"Against any team, if you make that many errors, you make it hard for yourself.

"But we were confident we could turn it around. How many other teams can be 28-0 down and still feel confident they could win?

"The one penalty against us, which came when playing the ball under our own posts, cost us the game.

"It was a strange decision that, wasn't it.

"Let's give North Wales credit. They're a great team with a lot of players battered and bruised. They played a tight game, got the ball in the corners and we weren't quite good enough to deal with that."

Asked what the difference was between the two halves, Ford said: "Maybe we were a bit flustered by the occasion or the expectancy of beating a team who have come from the league above.

"At half-time, the pressure was off and in the second half we saw the team I've seen all season, one of great character to fight back and throw the ball about a bit as well.

"At 28-0 down it's easy for a team to fall out with each other but we didn't and that will stand us in good stead.

"Rugby league is not just about being physical tough - you have to be mentally tough too. Every rugby league player will make errors. I've seen Billy Slater make errors, I made a whole heap of them when I played. It's about having the mental strength of character to come back.

"We had a real good dig at fighting our way back and I'm full of pride and admiration for the players and their mental strength.

"I thought we would sneak the win at the end with the cutting edge we have on the edges but fair play to North Wales."