WHO’D have thought it?

After a season of ups and downs, comings and goings, York City Knights have won promotion to the Championship, their own particular promised land.

The bookies certainly wouldn’t have thought it, offering odds of around 5-2 on a York victory in yesterday’s Championship One Grand Final.

Oldham probably wouldn’t have thought it either, having beaten the Knights in the qualifying semi-finals while believing it was surely their turn this time after three consecutive Grand Final defeats.

That it became four was down to a Knights performance in which every man played a major part.

Coach Dave Woods picked the same 17 that had beaten Blackpool, and from the first name on the teamsheet – that of loanee James Haynes, who only broke back in the starting line-up last week and duly gave a Press man-of-the-match performance – to the 17th, the local lad done good Jack Stearman, they were simply superb.

Defensively, they gave Oldham no room to breathe, and in attack, they bombed several chances but still had enough to slowly squeeze the life out of their opponents.

Even with those misses, the self-belief oozed through the side, a confidence Aussie Woods – now the overseer of three promotions with different clubs since he came to England – has done so much to instil.

They also did it through adversity, with half a dozen players spending at least part of the match nursing wounds. Even then, the 25-4 scoreline did not reflect the Knights’ dominance, one which was highlighted by Chris Thorman’s control on proceedings.

If Woods was the commander-in-chief of promotion, then Thorman was his on-field general, as he has been in all the recent big matches, again being aided by a pack effort that not only gave him room to manoeuvre but also stifled dangerous Oldham playmakers Neil Roden and Gregg McNally.

Birthday boy Thorman was the official man of the match and deservedly capped his masterclass with a try. He had also called the play that had his side on the way to victory amid an early superiority they were never to relinquish.

He went left and found Jordan Ross on a superb angle, and Ross fed Wayne Reittie, who bumped off the defender on the line to score.

Oldham, fielding the same 17 that had beaten York two weeks earlier, barely got out of their half in the first quarter.

However, the Knights’ territorial dominance brought only four points and the Roughyeds equalised after some class by Roden. The stand-off, in his 250th game for Oldham, chipped the defensive line, regathered the ball and kicked forward for Mick Fogerty to score.

That chip over the defence had set up the decisive try in the qualifying semi-final, McNally having been the architect that time. But the ploy did not work again, although on one occasion, York needed a great cover tackle from Reittie to hold them up.

Instead, York deservedly retook the lead. Thorman made 50 yards with a penalty downfield and, from the tap, Jack Lee found Haynes coming out of the back pocket on the short side, and the full-back finished quite superbly. Haynes also capped his performance with a try-saving late tackle on Paul O’Connor when the Roughyeds looked certain to bag a consolation.

Lee Waterman converted from the right touchline, and York should have scored again when Reittie skipped through two tackles, but he did not know Danny Ratcliffe was on his inside with a clear run to the line and, when met by the last man, he kicked instead of passing.

That aside, Reittie gave his best performance in a Knights shirt – and what a day to do it. Defensively sound against the excellent Lucas Onyango and superb with the ball, his confidence seemed to grow with every touch.

In the middle, meanwhile, Nathan Freer and Alex Benson again laid the foundations, while young Stearman possibly felt the occasion with a couple of first-half fumbles but, like fellow rookie Callum Dinsdale, was otherwise excellent – and clearly proud of helping his hometown team to glory.

In the second-row, Ross was simply Captain Fantastic, and Ryan Esders, while being kept quiet in attack, worked so hard on Roden that the Oldham dangerman had little to give. He also put a huge hit on Wayne Kerr that fired up the York contingent.

There was a scary moment before half-time when Ratcliffe and Waterman were hurt in the same tackle. And, with the left-side defence already hampered, it got worse when, within seconds, Reittie was had to change his blood-stained shirt.

Oldham attacked those spaces but the scrambling defence held out superbly – and the Knights should again have upped their lead in a fine riposte, but Lee’s pass saw Luke Hardbottle lose the ball with the line at his mercy.

Bombing chances had been costly in the qualifying semi-final and, another went begging at the start of the second half, a fine off-load on half-way by Stearman being dropped by Ratcliffe. Yet another chance came when Lee fielded another of those chips by McNally. He charged forward but didn’t back himself against Roden and fed Ratcliffe, who in turn was caught by the speedy Onyango.

A penalty was soon awarded for reefing, and Waterman booted the two points. And it never looked likely Oldham would make them pay.

As the game got scrappy, the Knights picked up some more walking wounded, with Ratcliffe having to be helped off after a massive – and dubious – hit by Marcus St Hilaire.

Waterman also had to depart, Steve Lewis being an able deputy, and Ross for a while was limping, not unlike Haynes earlier. But out of adversity come heroes, and one heroic cameo was provided by Ratcliffe’s replacement, Paul Stamp.

He nearly scored a 50-metre solo try, and then, after another superb break was carried on by Reittie, the ball came inside where Thorman dummied and scooted joyously between the posts.

Thorman goaled and turned the screw with a 20-metre drop goal and, with every Oldham raid being repelled, victory was capped by a try worthy of any television coverage.

Thorman, Ross and Ratcliffe all showed incredibly fast hands to send Steve Lewis – he who has come back from injuries aplenty – gleefully diving over the line. Thorman added the extras.

In previous games, Woods always shook the hands of his players after the hooter. This time he gave them all bear hugs as the old anthem “York and proud of it” rang round the Halliwell Jones Stadium.


Match facts

York City Knights 25, Oldham Roughyeds 4

Knights: Haynes 9, Reittie 9, Mitchell 7, Waterman 7, Wilson 7, Thorman 9, Ratcliffe 7, Freer 8, Lee 9, Benson 8, Ross 9, Esders 8, Hardbottle 7.

Subs (all used): Stamp 8, Dinsdale 7, Lewis 7, Stearman 7.

Tries: Reittie 8; Haynes 27; Thorman 66; Lewis 74.

Conversions: Waterman 27; Thorman 66, 74.

Penalties: Waterman 44.

Drop goal: Thorman 70.

Oldham: O’Connor, Onyango, St Hilaire, Fogerty, Gillam, N Roden, McNally, Boults, M Roden, Kerr, Clarke, Chandler, Bentley.

Subs (all used): Ellison, Heaton, Whitmore, Ashe.

Tries: Fogerty 20.

Conversions: None.

Penalties: None.

Drop goals: None.

Man of the match: James Haynes – the late-season recruit from Hull KR was superb at full-back, running the ball back with pace and punch, scoring a superb try and providing excellent cover defence, not least with his late try-saving tackle on Paul O’Connor.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven) – very competent.

Penalty count: 7-3.

Attendance: 9,443.

Half-time: 10-4.

Weather: overcast.

Moment of the match: take your pick – James Haynes’ try was excellent, Chris Thorman’s provided a good story for the birthday boy, and the Knights’ defence throughout was worthy of many moments, but the final try, in which Thorman, Danny Ratcliffe and Jordan Ross all showed super-quick hands, was worthy of Super League praise.

Gaffe of the match: York cocked-up a couple of gilt-edged chances but forget that, the biggest faux pas was the bookmakers’ decision to give York such long odds to win.

Match rating: it was not the ding-dong kind of classic that these two sides had provided in the recent past – but no one from York was complaining that they were so dominant and deserving of victory.