HEAD coach James Ford has slammed the timing of York City Knights' rearranged match against Coventry Bears as "utterly outrageous" - saying the players are being punished for their on-field success.

It has been announced that the game will be played next Wednesday night, June 1, at Bootham Crescent - immediately between Saturday's iPro Sport Cup final against Keighley Cougars and the League One humdinger against current leaders Rochdale Hornets the following Sunday.

The match had been postponed on April 17 due to the Knights' involvement in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup fifth round that weekend, against Dewsbury.

Asked if he was happy with the rescheduling, Ford said: "Quite obviously not.

"It is what it is. We've got a good squad - and it's a good job we have. It's another challenge for us and it's one that will pull us closer together.

"But it's is utterly outrageous to ask the players to play a cup final and then a midweek game before we play the team at the top of the table in a game that could carry quite a lot of weight in terms of final league standings.

"There's quite clearly going to be a better time to play the Coventry game.

"I've watched their game at Hemel (a 50-14 win for Coventry) and we're expecting a tough game. They've signed a couple of big middles, including one of our old players, Brad Brennan, and they'll be up for it.

"I feel like we've been punished for our on-field success. What would have happened had we been fortunate to beat Dewsbury (and had to rearrange another game)? Would they make us play Saturday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday?"

The Knights say they had been given limited options by hosts York City as regards when Bootham Crescent would be available due to planned work to the pitch, with the only other potential dates being the following Wednesday (June 8) or Wednesday, July 6 - the last available midweek of the regular League One season prior to the Super 8s.

The former date would have meant three home Knights games in eight days, with Coventry coming in between the key clash with Rochdale and that against arch-rivals Hunslet, which would have forced fans to stump up cash in quick succession and also put the playing surface to the test.

The latter would have been in between the tiring long trip to title favourites Toulouse and the last game of the regular season, away at fellow contenders Keighley.

Ford admitted none was ideal.

"It seems my opinion comes bottom of the pecking order in terms of when we should play this game," he said.

"It appears the club has been limited with available dates. But why is the pitch unavailable on other days? What are they doing on it? The football season has finished hasn't it?

"It would have been hard enough anyway to play Rochdale coming off the back of a cup final... so let's throw in a midweek fixture as well to make it even more of a challenge."