HEAD coach James Ford admitted being grateful Tyler Craig ignored his instructions in practising goal kicks after the 22-year-old’s late heroics rescued a point for York City Knights at Bootham Crescent.

A howler from full-back Brett Turner had seemed set to give the Kingstone Press League One points to North Wales Crusaders, and hand York a second successive defeat.

But in the 79th minute, Josh Tonks and Austin Buchanan combined to give Craig half a chance and the former Heworth ARLC junior got over the whitewash out wide to cut the deficit to two points.

The centre, having also been handed goalkicking duties for the first time in his career, still had to nail the touchline conversion – and did so, to make the final score 16-16.

Ford, alluding to Danny Nicklas’ misfiring goal-shooting this term, said: “We’ve stolen a point with a brilliant try and conversion. Who’d have thought we’d be saying that (about a conversion).

“It was great – I’m pleased for Tyler. He’s slowly improving as a player.

“He’s been telling me for a while that he’s a goalkicker.

“He practises them from the touchline. I told him to practise from further inside, from inside the tram lines, and if he gets ten out of ten he'd get the goal kicks. Thankfully he’s ignored me and kept practising it.”

On York’s overall performance, Ford said he would look at the video before being overly critical, but he intimated he was unhappy with half-backs Nicklas and Jonny Presley and full-back Turner, aside from his costly gaffe.

“North Wales defended heroically at times. We’ve had back-to-back sets and dominated territory but they worked overtime,” he said.

“Whether we executed as well as we would’ve liked I don’t know, but we’ve got to credit their defensive effort – it was fantastic.

“As much credit as I’d want to give North Wales, one or two of my players were below what they needed to do, and that contributed to us being behind.

“Our forward pack carried the ball well but when we went to the edges we could not quite find that right pass or line, and when we did it was generally off slow play-the-balls. You have to credit North Wales for that but our combinations on the edges were a bit sloppy.

“But as a group we’ve got character and we showed that to come back and steal a point.

“Austin did not have his best game but he finished it well with a great piece of skill.

“It still needed scoring and Tyler finished great.

“I thought Tyler was pretty good, and James Morland was okay (in the other centre) as well.

“They could have got more help from our full-back selecting right lines and passes.”

Asked about the half-backs, he said: “They’re better than what they served up. Jonny waited 75 minutes to run the ball. Danny… I need to have a look at the tape but it didn’t look like he picked the right pass at the right time.

“But they do combine well together. When things don’t go well for the team, the half-backs are generally the first people you look to to find out what’s happening.”

He added: “We didn’t execute as well as we can and we gave some daft penalties away, but the players have worked hard and thanks to their hard work and togetherness they’ve given themselves a chance to nick something from the game.

“I’m upset with some of the details in the performance but I can’t knock their effort or togetherness.”

Turner gifted the Crusaders a 16-10 lead when he stood and waited for a kick to bounce dead, allowing Jack Hansen to nip in and touch down.

Said Ford: “I know what he was trying to do – he wanted a tap-20 and some metres.

“He’s very laid-back, which is why he’s good at some things – for example he’s so relaxed under kicks – but which hinders him in other things.

“He’s made a mistake but we all make mistakes. That won’t go against him too much.

“He carried the ball well, but I just think he’s more suited to the wing than full-back.”