"We're sticking together" - Pat Smith says York City Knights players are staying loyal to their cause

Hooker Pat Smith, last year's club captain now in his third season with his home-town club, says the "brutally honest, fiercely loyal" bunch are desperate for a rescue package so they can get back to representing the Minster city - and finish their promising promotion-seeking League One season.

The players were addressed by chairman John Guildford amid a "heated" meeting at the team's training ground on Thursday night, when it was confirmed he was to close the club and make them all free agents. A club statement which came out at the same time blamed the troubled groundshare with York City and City of York Council's community stadium project for the decision.

But high-ranking Rugby Football League officials had also attended and, in a separate confidential meeting with the players, outlined potential ways forward.

The RFL also told the players they would extend the transfer deadline for them beyond Friday's official cut-off, given the exceptional circumstances. This gave them breathing space so they did not have to make rushed decisions, rival clubs having already made several approaches.

Former New Earswick ARLC junior Smith said: "My loyalty is to York and the York supporters - I'm from York and I'm one of them.

"I'd have no hard feelings if any of the lads for whatever reason felt it best to move on - how could you complain? - but we all had a discussion on our own away from everyone else and my understanding was we'd all stick together, give it a few days and see what can be done, if anything.

"It would be disingenuous to say people have not been exploring their options - who could blame them? - but the general consensus was to see what happens before exploring other options in a way we may otherwise have done.

"The RFL have been good by us - extending the (transfer) deadline, for example, takes pressure off.

"There are so many people fighting for the club, so many supporters worrying, so many people looking into what they can do to help, it would be unfair on them to jump ship straight away.

"It would be unfair on (head coach) James Ford and people who have given their time to us as a group."

He added: "We've all been in touch non-stop over the last couple of days, making sure everyone hears everyone out.

"I think people will take the weekend off, get our heads straight. As far as I know we're all coming in on Tuesday as normal hoping something might get resolved.

"We're all really loyal to the group. I've said it before - if any group can get through things like this, it's this set of blokes.

"They're brutally honest and fiercely loyal to each other. If a resolution can be found, this set of blokes will be the kind of people that can see it through.

"Other groups could have been torn apart, people would have left. That would be understandable given the circumstances. But to my knowledge we're all sticking together as long as possible."

On Thursday night's meetings, Smith, 26, said: "It's fair to say they were received in different ways.

"We had a meeting with John Guildford and got his take on the situation. The upshot was we were all free agents.

"We were surprised, confused - it had come out of the blue, apart from what had been in the paper. To our knowledge the club was doing okay.

"We then had a meeting with legal representatives from the RFL. Karen Moorhouse was particularly impressive. She calmed everyone down and gave a pragmatic view of what was going on and how we could deal with it, whether it be the club stopping playing or potential ways of seeing the season out.

"It's what everyone wants to happen. Everyone I've spoken to wants us to continue, to finish the season and see where we go from there.

"She was professional and helpful, and highlighted how that might be achieved.

"They were completely contrasting meetings. One where things were fairly heated, one where they were calm and considered."

Smith, meanwhile, said his concerns extended beyond the playing group.

"There are people like young George Leatt," he explained. "He comes to every game with the team and helps us out every time however he can. He obviously enjoys it and that's being taken away from him.

"Us players could always get other clubs, but what about those people? People like George, or some of the younger guys coming through. People like Pam and Martin Calvert who support us at every game. The fans who go down to places like South Wales to support us. They're never considered. That strikes an emotional chord with me."

He added: "It's clear the RFL want us to get to the end of the season. The fans do. We do. Probably 99.9 per cent of people involved want it to work.

"Hopefully a reasonable resolution can be found and things at some point will return to some form of normality.

"As a group of players we've agreed we'll give it as much a chance as possible.

"We'd been left in the dark until the last minute about something that would stop us finishing the season.

"But we're a tight-knit set of blokes, there's a genuine family feel, a brotherhood feel.

"We still want to see out the Super 8s and push for the promotion we've been pushing for all year."