JAMES FORD admits the growing uncertainty surrounding York City Knights' future is affecting his "inspirational" team.

Now he has called on fans to flock to Bootham Crescent for Sunday's derby and show "how much the boys mean to them".

Ford's troops ended a four-match losing run by beating second-placed Rochdale to stay in the promotion mix in League One ahead of this weekend's Super 8s visit of arch-rivals Hunslet.

The head coach believes that win highlighted yet again his players' "character, endeavour and resilience" in the face of ongoing adversity, which includes being told the club were to close down due to groundshare troubles with York City.

This in turn led to their match against Doncaster being called off and the team later travelling to runaway leaders Toulouse with only 15 men.

Club chiefs have since declared they will at least see out the season amid takeover talks – but there are no guarantees they will have anywhere to play next year as the community stadium saga rumbles on.

Ford said: "There is uncertainty around the club. People come to me for answers but I can't give any because I don't know the details. The details aren't my business and I'd like to keep focusing on the rugby.

"The only things I'm aware of are what I've read in the paper. For me, my staff and the players, it's a case of doing what we always do and that's focusing on the rugby and being as best prepared as we can. It's important we get two more points on Sunday.

"Coaches come and go, owners come and go, but these players are the ones giving everything in training through the week and on game-day.

"You've got Josh Tonks sprinting in head first against the biggest player on the pitch, nearly knocking himself out, and then doing it again 20 seconds later. How many players do that? He does it week in, week out and how many times a game?

"He does that when he's surrounded by all this uncertainty. That's just one example. It's inspirational what these players do for this York club and for each other."

After the initial closure bombshell, not a single player jumped ship.

Ford said: "I and the players made a huge commitment to one another that we'll finish the season as strongly as we can and do our utmost to fulfil our potential and achieve promotion.

"The uncertainty will be affecting the supporters, for sure. We don't know what's going to happen next year in terms of professional rugby league in the city.

"The worst-case scenario could be these are the last few games York will play; that this weekend could be the last time York play our old rivals Hunslet.

"For me that's very sad and I feel the supporters need to get down there and show these players how much they mean to them.

"These boys have been let down by things out of their control, yet they still turn up and put in performances like we saw in Toulouse.

"Throughout the season their character and endeavour and resilience are so blindingly obvious I feel they deserve so much more support.

"I'd really like the supporters to get down there in numbers and show how much the boys and rugby league in the city mean to them.

"I don't know of another club in professional sport who have been through what this group have been through and stuck together like this in order to represent this city and each other. The city needs to get behind them."

The Knights' rearranged match against Doncaster has been confirmed for 7.30pm on Wednesday, September 7 at Bootham Crescent.