York City Knights 64 Coventry Bears 12

IT’S fair to say whatever boss James Ford said at half-time, it worked.

His York City Knights side had looked in danger of throwing away an early 14-0 lead as visitors Coventry Bears dominated the second quarter, pulled it back to 14-12 and were in the ascendancy as the half-time hooter sounded.

Surely this was not going to be a repeat of the debacle at Oxford in early April, with an expansion side coming from behind to take the shock points.

Nope, it wasn’t.

Ford’s men came out for the second period like a house on fire, scoring five tries in 18 minutes and nine in all to simply blow the Bears away, win 64-12 and rise into the Super 8s positions in League One in some style.

They completed 20 sets out of 20, nearly half of them with tries, and restricted the visitors to only eight.

Following the 56 points scored at Gloucestershire All Golds last week, that’s 120 in two games. And some of the stuff on show isn’t half good to watch.

This team has indeed moved on since Oxford.

They did it, too, despite being forced into a notable late change, after key man Andy Ellis pulled a groin in the warm-up.

Fellow hooker Harry Carter had not been in the 19-man squad, nor part of the warm-up, but, fit again after his calf strain, he came onto the bench nonetheless after getting the call-up at 2.59pm. He scored a scintillating solo try too.

Good job he had his boots in his car.

As expected, former Hull teenage sensation Callum Lancaster made his York debut on the wing in place of Tommy Saxton, with Ford making two other changes to the side that had won big at Gloucestershire – James Haynes coming in at centre for Nev Morrison and Jonny Presley back into the halves for the crocked Harry Tyson-Wilson.

All three scored too.

There was one big surprise in the Coventry line-up.

Tommy Brierley has been loaned out by York to the Bears and was allowed to make his debut against his parent club. Ford maybe regretted that decision after the three-quarter scored – although probably not for too long.

Just like at Gloucestershire, the Knights got off to a cracking start, scoring after 90 seconds.

Coventry were pinged for a forward pass in the first set and, after Ash Robson was held up, Liam Harris dummied, darted through and converted.

It was 10-0 on five minutes, too, as York got a repeat set from a Bears knockdown and a swift move saw Haynes score.

Coventry gave warning of their attacking threat when they had a try from a kick ruled out for a knock-on before York made it 14-0, when Harris chipped towards the corner and new boy Lancaster showed his speed down the touchline to run onto it, catch and cross for his debut try.

The Knights nearly scored again when second-row Joe Batchelor showed his pace while punting a loose ball three times downfield on a free play, only for the last bounce to confound all the chasers, with play being taken all the way back for a scrum in front of York’s posts.

For some reason, it then all started to go wrong, ill-discipline a factor as six penalties went against the hosts on the trot, the Bears benefiting to score twice and get on top for the second quarter.

On the back of two piggy-backs upfield, a good move sucked Lancaster in and his opposite winger Hayden Freeman sped home.

Then, after more easily achieved field position, York’s defence became stretched and desperate, and Brierley was given half a chance – thumping the ball down with glee.

Brad Delaney, looking a decent scrum-half, converted both from out wide to make it 14-12.

The half was then summed up by Ash Robson.

The full-back made a super break out of defence after gathering a kick but, rather than taking the field position gained and setting up an attacking set, he opted to kick forward for supporting runners – but got it all wrong and handed the Bears the ball back.

The half-time hooter came at a very good time, with the visitors attacking and in the ascendancy.

Whatever was said in the sheds was clearly worthwhile too, as York began the second half like the first with two tries inside five minutes – and this time they stayed well and truly on the front foot in an almost flawless display of attacking rugby.

The early pressure again started thanks to a Coventry forward pass deep in their own half.

From the scrum, skipper Ed Smith took a short pass and touched down despite the efforts of opposing second-row Keiran Sherratt.

Then Harris, again showing his ability as a running half, broke through and handed on to Presley. Coventry were penalised for reefing and Joe Porter fought his way over to celebrate signing his extended contract.

The former York Acorn ARLC star’s joy was curtailed 15 minutes later, though, when he departed with a suspected broken jaw. If confirmed, that will be a big blow.

A third try of the half soon followed.

Robson again drew men in – he may sometimes hold onto the ball too long but he doesn’t half engage defenders – and Presley’s little pass sent Batchelor in against his former club.

The tries kept coming, this time Rawsthorne breaking through.

The on-loan Hull centre had been hitherto closely marked but this try was not unlike the four he got the previous week.

Three minutes later, Carter scored his solo effort, speeding off from dummy-half on half-way and around the full-back.

And still the points flowed.

Some cracking play started by the superb Harris and involving Haynes, Batchelor and Smith saw Presley cross.

Harris wasted another wonderful break when he held on with three team-mates in support staring at the try-line.

But, soon enough, Batchelor crashed over for his second, and he then turned provider with an offload that allowed Haynes – now at full-back with Robson withdrawn early in readiness for Friday’s trip to Newcastle – to swan dive over the whitewash.

The try-scoring was then rounded off by Hey, getting on the end of a Presley chip.

Rawsthorne had taken over goal-kicking duties in the second half and, after missing two of the first three conversions, he put on his shooting boots to nail the rest and finish with seven from nine.