YORK City Knights chairman Jon Flatman insists there is more to come from the club on and off the field after the record-breaking start to the new season.

The Knights, having had two tries dubiously disallowed, lost 22-20 to Bradford Bulls in a dramatic Betfred League One opener, the former world club champions and odds-on title favourites snatching victory with a controversial long-range penalty after the final hooter.

Off the field, the match attracted a Knights record crowd of 4,281.

That figure is also the second highest attendance for a third division game on these shores since professional rugby league reverted to three tiers in 2003.

Flatman, referring to the success of the marketing effort in the build-up to the game, said: "I'm really happy for all those people who put in a lot of time and effort into making it a fantastic day.

"The attendance, the event and the performance, all combined, made is a resounding success for all those people who made it happen, in front of and behind the scenes.

"Everyone, including volunteers, staff and players, pulled together to put on what was a memorable event."

York also set League One's highest attendance figure in the UK last season when 2,602 turned out for the memorable win over champions-to-be Toronto Wolfpack.

Flatman said: "As we discussed last year after the Toronto game, that was just the start of it.

"Again, we will continue to build on this."

"It's full credit to the people of York and the wider rugby league community who came to the game.

"Everybody who attended Sunday's game would have left understanding the positive attributes of rugby league as a sport.

"We've talked about the potential of York for a long time and we're beginning to deliver on it."

The attendance record for a third tier match in the UK since 2003 stands at 4,327, set by Oldham in a game against Celtic Crusaders in August 2007. Sunday's attendance at Bootham Crescent fell just 46 short.

The next highest is 4,066 for Keighley’s match against Coventry in 2015 - the Cougars’ first home game following the tragic death of half-back Danny Jones.

Transatlantic team Toronto, meanwhile, beat those figures in their maiden League One season last term, lifting the record overall to 8,546 in their final Super 8s game against Doncaster.

The Knights' previous record attendance since re-forming ahead of the 2003 season stood at 3,509 for a one-off friendly at Bootham Crescent against Leeds Rhinos in January 2005.

Their highest attendance for a competitive match stood at 3,224, against Hunslet at their old Huntington Stadium home, in May 2005.

The highest since moving permanently to Bootham Crescent two years ago had been the 2,601 that watched the Toronto match last July. Attendance figures had previously been dwindling markedly prior to the Flatman takeover 14 months ago.

The historic York RL club record is 14,689 for a Challenge Cup tie against Swinton at the old Clarence Street ground in February 1934.

Meanwhile, no date or venue has yet been confirmed for the Knights' Challenge Cup third round tie at amateurs Askam next weekend.

The National Conference League club are hoping to stage the game at their own headquarters on Saturday afternoon but the Rugby Football League are checking if the venue meets ground requirements for such a tie.

It may otherwise be staged at Barrow Raiders' Craven Park - the nearest professional ground - on either Saturday or Sunday. Barrow go to Batley in the Championship on Sunday so there would be no fixture clash.