YORK City Knights finished another firecracker of a game at Bootham Crescent with only 11 men – yet held on for a remarkable 32-24 victory over old foes Hunslet.

The Knights had not helped themselves in the first half but fought back from behind to lead 26-18 heading into the final quarter.

More questionable officiating, however, saw Josh Tonks sin-binned and although James Ford's charges came through those ten minutes unscathed, quickly replying after Hunslet had cut the gap, they needed to display more vigorous defending in the last nine after two melees saw a further flurry of cards.

Ben Dent was sin-binned after a set-to with Hunslet full-back Jimmy Watson.

Then another massive hit sparked another melee, after which Jack Aldous was sin-binned for lamping Jake Normington, and Normington literally saw red when continuing the aggression after the teams had parted.

An extra man for the visitors and extra spaces to play in, but every big contact thereafter was cheered vociferously by the supporters as Ford's battlers held their line intact in notable fashion, the energy levels again something to be admired.

Despite the recent hectic schedule, Ford had made only two changes to the side that hammered Rochdale.

Adam Dent was in for crocked winger Tommy Saxton – the youngster being decidedly assured – and Jordan Crowther, back on loan from Wakefield, replaced Matty Dale as interchange back-row.

Hunslet had four ex-Knights in their 17 – Simon Brown, Jack Lee, Lee Mapals and Austin Bell – with Mapals, as a winger, being a curious selection for a bench which also included half-back-turned hooker Danny Thomas; a break from the modern norm of having three forwards and a hooker.

The Hawks on paper – with the likes former League One Player of the Year Lee, Ayden Faal, Brown and Richie Barnett, all proven at a higher level – are better than eighth in the table suggests.

They looked better than eighth on the field too, albeit aided by home errors and kind refereeing.

Such assistance began from the get-go as Danny Nicklas' kick-off went out on the full, while two harsh penalties kept the visitors on the front foot, all leading to an early opening try – a brilliant offload by Lewis Reed catching the defence napping for Watson to dig in.

A trio of cheap turnovers then kept Hunslet upfield and prop Reed crashed over, Brown adding his second conversion.

A fifth straight penalty – this for reefing, and again debatable – gave Hunslet another chance, the officials somehow missing a forward pass as well. However, Lee was halted inches short for the second time, with York wise to their former star's threat from dummy-half.

The hosts had not had a sniff in the first quarter, Hunslet's smart kicking game – led by Brown before he exited injured in the second half – having kept them at the wrong end.

However, a big defensive set in the top quarter and then a penalty finally gave them that chance and veteran prop Mark Applegarth superbly slalomed through, Nicklas goaling.

Applegarth, excellent after coming on for the lethargic Brett Waller, was also involved in the build-up to the equaliser, Hunslet offside as they tried to halt his run.

Hooker Kriss Brining got it, doing what Lee could not as he got over from dummy-half, Nicklas goaling.

York had been second in territory and possession but were level on the scoreboard.

The impetus brought off the bench by Applegarth, Brining and Russ Spiers also seemed to be getting them on the front foot – only for Hunslet to retake the lead on half-time.

Nicklas' grubber was intercepted by Faal, who showed all his experience to draw the covering defender, Ben Dent, and get the ball to Matt Duckworth, Ansell goaling.

It was not the only last-tackle play by the generally reliable Knights half-backs that had not worked out.

Ford left the changing rooms early ahead of the second stanza, a short, sharp talking-to having been his probable input.

And while the 18-12 deficit should have become 20-12 when Ansell missed a penalty, whatever he had said seemed to work as greater urgency saw the game turn York's way.

Fortune favoured the hosts as Nicklas' grubber caused enough consternation for the half-back himself to pounce on the loose ball, and convert from wide out.

Then it was 24-18, Brining with another trademark try from dummy-half, Nicklas again goaling.

York had upped the tempo, Brining forceful, big Brett Waller now running over people.

After the prop won a penalty in front of the posts, Nicklas kicked the two points to make it 14 in six blistering minutes.

Hunslet could not cope with the pace and power until a touch judge saw something nobody else spotted and told referee Warren Turley to sin-bin Tonks.

It got worse from the linesmen as a long, decidedly forward-looking, pass from Ansell found Mapals in acres to score out wide, Ansell converting.

But it immediately got better again for York, after a Thomas handling error.

A gap opened for Pat Smith but he passed to Nicklas – and the half-back instead jinked in and goaled for his 20th point of the day. So much for the extra man, York two scores to the good again.

An Adam Dent counter-attack – which ended when Barnett knocked the ball out of his grasp – sparked the ferocious finale which saw the match end 11 against 12. But the efforts of the 11 brought further proof this Knights team are up for the promotion battle.

MATCH FACTS

Knights 32 Hunslet 24

Knights: B Dent 7, A Dent 8, E Smith 8, Morland 8, Buchanan 7, Presley 6, Nicklas 8, Waller 7, P Smith 8, Aldous 7, Tonks 7, Divorty 8, Emmett 8. Subs (all used): Brining 8, Crowther 8, Applegarth 8, Spiers 8.

Tries: Applegarth 23; Brining 34, 54; Nicklas 51, 70.

Conversions: Nicklas 23, 34, 51, 54, 70.

Penalties: Nicklas 57.

Sent off: none.

Sin-binned: Tonks 62; B Dent 71; Aldous 72.

Hunslet: Watson, Duckworth, Faal, Mvududu, Barnet, Brown, Ansell, Haley, Lee, Reed, Williams, Normington, Mackey. Subs (all used): Carbutt, Thomas, Mapals, Bell.

Tries: Watson 7; Reed 13; Duckworth 40; Mapals 66.

Conversions: Brown 7, 13; Ansell 40, 66.

Penalties: none.

Sent off: Normington 72.

Sin-binned: none.

Man of the match: Danny Nicklas – prop Mark Applegarth can count himself unlucky after a superb display full of strength, urgency and knowhow that helped turn the game, but Nicklas, with 20 points on the day, including some important goals, cannot be overlooked. He began terribly, booting the kick-off straight out, and last-tackle plays in the first half weren't great but how he turned it round was superb. Put in some cracking hits in defence too.

Referee: Warren Turley (Leigh) – hard to tell, but it seemed the "help" he got from his hapless touch judges contributed to boos from the crowd raining down on him.

Penalty count: 6-13

Weather: mild, with second-half drizzle.

Half-time: 12-18

Attendance: 778

Moment of the match: Danny Nicklas' second try, with York a man down, put them two scores ahead again at 32-24.

Gaffe of the match: With Hunslet having just pulled the scores back to 26-24, and with York's Josh Tonks in the sin-bin, Danny Thomas tried a quick scoop from dummy-half but knocked on in his own half and, from that mistake, Danny Nicklas jinked in to make it 32-24.

Gamebreaker: York's hard-hitting, overtime-working defence in the last ten minutes when down to 11 men.

Match rating: an absolute firecracker between two old rivals. The Hawks had been on the receiving end of the Knights' new-look hard-hitting nature at the very start of the season, and they had more of the same again here in a "derby" that had pretty much everything.