JAMES FORD says records don't really interest him - despite presiding over the best start to a season in York City Knights' history.

Ford's men had already topped the starting sequence of four straight wins set by Gary Thornton's class of 2014, even before Sunday's 40-12 victory at Rochdale in the iPro Cup made it six from six.

It is the best opening run since the new club formed in 2002, and one of the longest in living memory for York RL as a whole, but rather than accepting any plaudits, head coach Ford reckons the credit should go to his players - aided by strength and conditioning coach Mark Helme.

And he insists their only focus is getting better still.

"We just take every game as it comes," said Ford, when asked if he was aware he had set a new best.

"We're really pleased with our start but we also know there are things we can do better. That's always the main motivation for us as a group.

"Six from six is promising but we've still got improvement in us."

He added: "I'm not interested in records or personal accolades. It's about the team and the club moving forward.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to come across like I'm too hard to please - I'm really pleased with what we're serving up.

"It's appropriate for me to tell the boys that what they're doing is good - but we can also look for areas to improve.

"Those teams we've beaten will improve so we need to improve as well."

In addition to the Challenge Cup win over York Acorn ARLC and the League One victory over London Skolars, the Knights have beaten four teams who began the season on shorter odds to top the table - Hunslet, Keighley and Rochdale in knockout competitions and Doncaster in the league.

They did so despite seeing their pre-season fixture programme ruined by the weather, with only the run-out against Castleford back in January going ahead.

Added Ford: "To have beaten those teams without the warm-up games is even more impressive - but we can get better.

"Prizes aren't handed out at this time of the year. We need to keep our targets in our minds and keep working hard.

"I see what the boys do in training and know what they've been serving up since November, and that gives me confidence to say there's more in us."

The all-time York RL record start - and also best-ever winning run - stands at a whopping 19 from 19, set over a century ago in 1900-01.

In the modern era, the Knights have twice previously won five from six at the start of a season - in 2007 under Mick Cook, and in 2010 under caretaker coaches Chris Thorman and Mick Ramsden - while Richard Agar's class of 2004 won six on the bounce early on but only after losing their opener.

The Knights' record winning sequence at any point in a season, meanwhile, stands at ten games set in 2014 on the way to the League One leaders' trophy, when Ford was number two to Thornton.

To put that in context, though, eight of those wins were against expansion clubs and, while the other two were against Hunslet and Oldham, that pair both beat the Knights in the play-offs that followed.

To top that ten-match record on this current run, Ford's men will have to shock Championship side Dewsbury in the Challenge Cup in nine days' time and beat another rival club tipped for promotion, Barrow, next month - both away from home.

Victory will also be needed in their other upcoming games against Hemel, this Sunday, and South Wales, both in the league, and Gloucestershire All Golds in the iPro Cup semi-final.

Asked how his side had started so well, Ford said: "Without singling people out, a lot of praise needs to go to our strength and conditioning coach.

"Mark and I share a similar philosophy on how rugby league players should be conditioned to be big, strong and fast, and he has also bought into what we do at this club after joining us last summer. He needs a big pat on the back.

"However, it doesn't matter what he writes on the board if the players don't do it.

"What matters most is that the players buy into it and put the effort in, and so far the boys need to get all the praise for that.

"If Mark has some new ideas it would be easy for them to look at each other and think, 'This isn't how we did it before', but they've ripped into it and they all look better for it."