YORK City Knights won't be playing at Bootham Crescent this year after all.

York City's ground may well have been ready to finally host a rugby league game later this month, but James Ford's men blew the chance of a home semi-final in the League One play-offs after letting slip a 16-8 lead against Barrow amid astonishing scenes at Empark Way - despite the visitors having two men sin-binned and another sent off in the space of 11 mad first-half minutes.

As it was, the Raiders' game-plan to rattle the Knights mentally as well as physically paid off as two Cameron Pitman tries - his second a long-range cracker three minutes from time - gave the Cumbrians an unlikely 18-16 victory.

The result allowed Swinton to leapfrog the Knights into third in the table and bag home advantage when the sides meet in a fortnight for a place in the final.

The game itself - another eventful encounter at the Knights' temporary Heworth ARLC home - was overshadowed by Anthony Bate's actions after being red-carded, with the Barrow substitute walking into the terrace to confront jeering supporters face to face before being led away in front of aghast spectators.

But while the Rugby Football League might come down hard on him for that, Ford may well come down hard on his own team for failing to take advantage of the extra bodies and for being so rattled by the Raiders' aggressive nature, even if at times it strayed beyond the rules.

Ford's men also blew opportunities when they came, while their handling was off-kilter and decision-making awry.

The silver lining is that a game like this could well be better preparation for the play-offs than a one-sided 94-6 win over stragglers South Wales - as enjoyed by Swinton.

They also came out of the other side of it without any new injuries, which seemed unlikely at half-time.

That Barrow were so fired up and indeed took this mindset was surprising given they only had a glimmer of a hope of a play-off place and one which depended on them scoring at least 37 points - something they would be unlikely to do if coming more to out-fight than to out-play.

Rochdale's win over London Skolars on Saturday meant Barrow needed to beat York by that margin – something only St Helens have managed in the last two years - and hope North Wales would lose at Newcastle. In the end, the Welsh won anyway, meaning it was they who nicked fifth spot.

Still, Barrow's two bus-loads of fans, all in Hawaiian fancy dress, enjoyed a party atmosphere to end their season.

Ford had to make one change to the side that had edged North Wales 30-28, with young Adam Dent in on the wing for Nev Morrison, who broke a hand at Wrexham.

Dent gave them the lead, too, finishing neatly after the defence was stretched by Micky Learmonth's break, brother Ben Dent goaling.

York had already gone close after one of the moves of the season - the ball going through several hands, with Jonny Presley just unable to gather Jordan Howden's kick at the culmination of it all.

But that was the end of the free-flowing stuff as Barrow's tactics soon begin to win out.

They soon equalised, albeit after Joe Bullock had fumbled in back play only for referee Dave Merrick to decide the ball went backwards - one of few decisions to go Raiders' way in the first half. Big Adam Nicholson got out an offload to put in Nathan Mossop, Josh Ward goaling.

York quickly retook the lead, Ed Smith getting through after Brad Nicholson's run had broken the line, and that lead should have been extended after Greg Minikin broke free, but his scoring pass to Pat Smith was called forward.

Barrow, too, had a chance, Joe Hambley unable to take in Ward’s chip, before a mad few minutes should have turned the game York's way - the mouthy Craig Briscoe and centre Andy Litherland being sin-binned for dissent and interference respectively.

Amazingly, Ward picked off a Pat Smith pass, Pitman won a penalty after a forceful run, and Ward reduced the arrears for the 11 men to 10-8.

The visitors, pinged for 11 penalties in all in the first stanza, also had a team warning for persistent fouling - the experienced Merrick having a job on to keep order - yet they continued to offend, and, when Bate caught Harry Carter high, he was shown red.

Bent Dent kicked the penalty to make it 12-8, a lead increased by a Jordan Howden try two minutes after half-time.

But Barrow controlled their aggression better in the second half, aided by refereeing decisions gong their way and by home errors, and stayed very much in the game.

The hosts remained rattled and, when Pitman fought over in the corner, the lead was cut to 16-12.

At the other end, winger Ben Dent was put clear by Kriss Brining and should have killed the game but Chris Hankinson caught him.

Then as the clock ticked down, Pitman broke through and had the legs to get to the whitewash, Chris Hankinson's conversion from out wide winning the game.

MATCH FACTS

Knights 16 Barrow 18

Knights: Howden 6, A Dent 6, Minikin 7, Morland 6, B Dent 5, Presley 6, P Smith 5, Applegarth 6, Brining 7, Learmonth 6, E Smith 8, Tonks 6, Aldous 7. Subs (all used): Carter 6, Mallinder 7, B Nicholson 6, Blagbrough 6.

Tries: A Bent 12; E Smith 21; Howden 42.

Conversions: B Dent 12.

Penalty: B Dent 37.

Barrow: Fleming, Pitman, Hankinson, Litherland, Hambley, Marwood, Ward, Bullock, Mossop, Harrison, A Nicholson, Briscoe, Duerden. Substitutes (all used): Dolan, Dawson, Toal, Bate.
Tries: Mossop 15; Pitman 66, 77.

Conversions: Ward 15; Hankinson 77.

Penalty: Ward 31.

Sin-binned: Briscoe 26; Litherland 28.

Sent off: Bate 37.

Man of the match: Ed Smith - a standout performer who gave as good as he got in an otherwise rattled display by the Knights, no doubt affected by Barrow's perhaps surprising levels of aggression in what was all but a dead rubber for the visitors.

Referee: Dave Merrick (Castleford) – had a difficult task to keep a lid on things in an ill-tempered first half as Barrow played on the edge of the rules and beyond, but five successive penalties to the visitors in the second half meant the fired-up Raiders were less prone to let any potential frustrations boil over.

Penalty count: 14-7

Half-time: 12-8

Weather: clear

Attendance: 468

Moment of the match: Anthony Bate was sent off and walked into the terrace to confront jeering home fans. It wasn’t quite an Eric Cantona kung fu moment and only words were exchanged rather than anything more serious, but it was still probably the biggest talking point of another eventful encounter during the Knights' temporary stay at Elmpark Way. Surely the RFL will not let it pass without punishment.

Gaffe of the match: Whether Ben Dent knew Chris Hankinson was catching him is unclear but, either way, when put through by Kriss Brining, the winger should have put his foot down to score and make the game considerably safer at 22-12 inside the last ten minutes.

Gamebreaker: Aussie Cameron Pitman capped a man-of-the-match performance for Barrow with a superb 70-metre solo try on 77 minutes, with Chris Hankinson's touchline conversion giving 12-man Barrow the win.

Match rating: where to start? Another incredibly eventful match at Elmpark Way ended in defeat as York, rattled by Barrow's playing on the edge of the rules, were knocked severely off their stride. They still should have won with 13 v 12 but at times in the second half it looked like the visitors had the extra man. Here's hoping it proves a good workout to get them fired up for the trip to Swinton.