GREG MINIKIN has admitted his disappointment at missing out on the League One Young Player of the Year accolade – but says it is of minor importance compared to York City Knights' bid for promotion glory.

The 20-year-old centre has played a starring role all season as the Knights finished fourth in the table and safely in the play-offs, bagging 17 tries in 26 appearances to boot.

But he was pipped to the Young Player gong at the plush Kingstone Press Championships awards ceremony in Manchester on Monday night, with Matty Beharrell of Newcastle the surprising recipient ahead of Minikin and Swinton half-back Ben White.

Beharrell, whose much-fancied team finished a disappointing eighth in the table, had been a runner-up 12 months ago, when York's Ben Reynolds and James Saltonstall shared the award.

Nevertheless, Minikin – whose form has led to strong speculation linking him with a post-season switch to Castleford – says his focus is solely on the play-off semi-final clash at Swinton in ten days' time.

"Obviously I'm a little bit disappointed – it would have been nice to win it – but I'm just happy to have been nominated," said the former York College starlet, who has refused to comment on the Cas speculation.

"Promotion is the goal for us. It's been the goal all year. Getting into the play-offs ticks one box and now we've got to finish off the job.

"We missed out last year in the play-offs and we know what that feels like, so that will spur us on to hopefully go up this year."

The Knights blew the chance of gaining home advantage in the semi-final as defeat to 12-man Barrow on Sunday, having thrown away a 16-8 lead, saw them drop a place to fourth in the standings. Swinton hammered strugglers South Wales to go back up to third.

Third host fourth in one semi-final, while the losers of Sunday's 'promotion final' between the top two – Oldham and Keighley – will entertain fifth-placed North Wales in the other semi-final.

The Knights lost 34-24 to a Stuart Littler-inspired Swinton the last time they visited Park Lane – despite a man-of-the-match performance by Minikin – though they won the return encounter 26-16 at Heworth. Minikin scored in both games.

He said: "Swinton are a very good team. They're big and strong on the edges with the likes of Stuart Littler, and Ben White is a good player – he was up for Young Player as well.

"They've also got a big middle who like to get a roll on and they've got (hooker) Andy Ackers and (full-back) Richie Hawkyard, who were shortlisted for Player of the Year.

"We had a quick chat with them on Monday when we wished each other well.

"But we've got a lot of good players as well. It was always going to be a tough tie, whether we were home or away. But we've got a good chance of winning. We just need to be better than we were against Barrow.

"It's 1-1 between us this year and this is the decider. We've bounced back from defeats before. We'll have this weekend off then get a good week's training and go into it running."

The last time the Knights went to Park Lane, Minikin gave veteran centre Mick Nanyn – the sixth-highest points scorer in rugby league history – such a runaround that he was hauled off. The Scotland international retired later that month, amid rumours the chasing he received from York's young pretender prompted his decision.

But Minikin laughed: "I don't buy into that. Mick Nanyn has had a great career and I don't think those rumours are true at all."

On Monday night's award, Minikin added: "Matty Beharrell is a good player – he's a young half-back and he's got control of games, and Newcastle have got quite a good team. He's done well.

"It's not a surprise that he won. I had a feeling I might have had a chance but everyone who was shortlisted deserved it."

The Knights also missed out on the League One Coach of the Year gong, with rookie boss James Ford and Swinton's John Duffy being runners-up to Scott Naylor, who led Oldham to top spot.

Minikin, who has been tutored by Ford through the youth system at York and now in the first team, said: "Fordy definitely deserved it with what he's achieved, considering the issues the club has had off the field.

"But Scott Naylor definitely deserved it as well after the season Oldham have had."