THREE league games, three wins. Four games in all, four wins. Believe it or not, never before have York City Knights got off to such a good start to a new season since re-forming in 2003.

Okay, this might "only" be an expansion Championship One division, but then two of those victories have been against arch-rivals Hunslet away from home in the league and Championship outfit Whitehaven in the Challenge Cup. And confidence is high the team can topple another Championship side, Swinton, in the cup tomorrow.

Happy days indeed.

Head coach Gary Thornton has, however, been keen to keep people's feet on the ground and, if only for that reason, it might be prudent to consider York's previous best run at the onset of a season.

That sequence, a happy hat-trick of victories, actually wasn't too long ago - just two years in fact - but it's unlikely that fans would recall it particularly fondly.

Chris Thorman's class of 2012 beat Doncaster, Swinton and Gateshead, all in the Northern Rail Cup, to spiritedly spring into action.

Anyone remember what followed?

The team won only twice more all year, once in the league and once against amateurs Hull Dockers in the Challenge Cup. They duly finished bottom of the Championship (although the fact there was no relegation that year probably played a part as the club kept cash in the coffers rather than unnecessarily splash out to stay up).

So, with that sorry sequence in mind, let's not get carried away just yet.

That said, there is no danger of finishing bottom this time - this is lower quality Championship One after all - and indeed some bookies are now making York joint favourites with Hunslet to finish top of this tier's tree, following their victory at the Hawks a few weeks back and their 100 per cent record so far.

Moreover, the Knights, even in their previous pomps, have never kicked off so well.

Remember Richard Agar's classy York side of 2004 who enjoyed wonderful winning runs and points aplenty in the old National League Two?

Well, it was those old foes from Hunslet who denied that free-scoring team such a super start to the 2004 campaign - winning at Huntington Stadium on the second weekend of the league term to puncture an otherwise exciting sequence of nine victories.

Even the title-winning NL2 year under Mick Cook in 2005 began in ignominious fashion, with a home defeat to Swinton, which came on the back of an indifferent Northern Rail Cup campaign.

The opening to the 2010 promotion season was also up and down, with as many league losses as wins until the sun started shining in June.

That campaign perhaps more than most goes to show that what happens at the business end of term is considerably more important than what happens in the first few weeks, especially when promotion comes via play-offs and a grand final - as Thornton has been at pains to point out in most pre and post-match interviews in recent weeks.

The aforementioned 2012 season, meanwhile, is proof that things can likewise change for the worst in startling fashion.

WANT to support the Knights at Super League's Magic Weekend? Well, you can.

Okay, watching York on such an occasion might be a few years and daydreams away, but you can help the club financially by buying tickets for the two-day rugby league fest via their website or Roland Court office.

Tickets, when bought through the Knights, cost a discounted £25 for each day (£15 for under-16s) or £40 for the full weekend (£20 for U16s), and, if purchased from the club, they get 50 per cent cash back from the Rugby Football League.

Visit www.yorkcityknights.co.uk or phone the office on 01904 767404.

THERE was a Back Page story in The Press this week about Lee Paterson's upcoming 200th pro career appearance in British rugby league.

The 32-year-old New Earswick ARLC product will reach that milestone in the Knights' Challenge Cup tie at Swinton tomorrow.

However, he's not the only player with strong Knights connections to be looking at landmark figures.

Super League winger Peter Fox, the former York Acorn ARLC junior who first made his name at Huntington Stadium, needs just two tries to reach 150 career touchdowns.

His total of 148 comprises 40 for home-town club York (2005-2006), 56 for Hull KR (2008-2011), 45 for Wakefield (2007 & 2012-2014) and seven for England (2008-2009).

Ex-Knight David March, a Super League veteran prior to his move to York at the end of 2007, has now reached 350 career appearances - a pretty awesome figure in the modern era.

The 34-year-old has played 102 games for Hunslet since 2010, and was previously with Wakefield (204 games, 1997-2007) and York (43 games, 2008-2009).

Lee Waterman, meanwhile, another player who first made his name in the pro arena at Huntington Stadium, has now reached 100 for his career.

Waterman has played 57 games for Doncaster since 2012, and was previously with York (42 games, 2009-2011).

THE fifth round draw for the Tetley's Challenge Cup will be made live on BBC2 between 4pm and 4.30pm tomorrow - pretty much straight after the end of the Knights' tie against Swinton.

The draw follows on from the Beeb's coverage of the fourth round game between Huddersfield and St Helens.

It will be conducted by Rugby League Hall of Fame members Alex Murphy and Garry Schofield.

The fifth round ties will be played over the weekend of April 26-27

Tickets for the final at Wembley on Saturday August 23 cost from £22 and can be bought from the RFL ticket office at www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk or by phoning 0844 856 113.

WANT some good omens for tomorrow's tie? Well, past Challenge Cup meetings with Swinton provide only a crumb.

The Knights, won 20-18 at Swinton the last time the sides met in the competition, in 2006, also in round four, when it was they who were the team in the higher tier.

It was a memorable match, too, York coming from 18-10 behind with 13 minutes left in the mud and rain at Swinton's previous Park Lane home.

Victory came courtesy of two Scott Rhodes tries - including a late winner - and one each for Neil Law and Matt Blaymire.

However, Swinton triumphed in the previous four cup meetings, most latterly 39-21 in round four in 1998.

The time before that was mid-War, in 1942, when there were home and away legs in the second round. Swinton won 29-5 at home and 15-7 at Clarence Street, while in 1938 they enjoyed a 12-2 first round victory on York's turf.

Perhaps the most famous cup clash between the sides came in 1934, when a crowd of 14,689 turned up for a first round match - the record attendance for any game at Clarence Street.

The throngs were duly treated to a 0-0 draw - but York won the replay 15-5 at Swinton.

Before that, joy was all Swinton's with round two wins in 1933 (3-0), 1927 (10-8) and 1907 (11-3).


Ex-Knights hit notable milestones

THERE was a story in The Press this week about Lee Paterson’s upcoming 200th pro career appearance in British rugby league.

The 32-year-old New Earswick ARLC product will reach that milestone in the Knights’ Challenge Cup tie at Swinton tomorrow.

However, he’s not the only player with strong Knights connections to be looking at landmark figures.

Super League winger Peter Fox, the former York Acorn ARLC junior who first made his name at Huntington Stadium almost a decade ago, needs just two tries to reach 150 career touchdowns.

His total of 148 comprises 40 for home-town club York (2005-2006), 56 for Hull KR (2008-2011), 45 for Wakefield (2007 & 2012-2014) and seven for England (2008-2009).

Ex-Knight David March, a Super League veteran prior to his move to York at the end of 2007, has now reached 350 career appearances - a pretty awesome figure in the modern era.

The 34-year-old has played 102 games for Hunslet since 2010, and was previously with Wakefield (204 games, 1997-2007) and York (43 games, 2008-2009).

Lee Waterman, meanwhile, another player who first made his name in the pro arena at Huntington Stadium, has now reached 100 for his career.

Waterman has played 57 games for Doncaster since 2012, and was previously with York (42 games, 2009-2011).


WANT to support the Knights at Super League’s Magic Weekend? Well, you can.

Okay, watching York on such an occasion might be a few years and daydreams away, but you can help the club financially by buying tickets for the two-day rugby league fest via their website or Roland Court office.

Tickets, when bought through the Knights, cost a discounted £25 for each day (£15 for under-16s) or £40 for the full weekend (£20 for U16s), and, if purchased from the club, they get 50 per cent cash back from the Rugby Football League.

Visit www.yorkcityknights.co.uk or phone the office on 01904 767404.