MATCH REPORT: Newcastle Thunder v York City Knights

On what is becoming an annual Friday night curtain-raiser to Super League’s Magic Weekend on Tyneside, the Knights began slowly and fell 12-0 down but they slowly gained a foothold and turned some kind of screw to score four tries and seemingly seal the points at 22-12 up, Newcastle having had three men sin-binned and York one on an eventful evening.

However, a late rally gave Thunder – half of whom formerly played for the Knights – hope in a second half which effectively had some 13-and-a-half minutes of stoppage time.

They came so close in a thrilling finale, too, forcing repeat sets and leaving travelling fans’ nerves in tatters. But their team showed bottle aplenty and the hooter finally sounded to turn the agony into ecstasy.

Knights boss James Ford made five changes to the side that hammered Coventry in that scintillating second-half show on Sunday, some enforced.

Big Adam Robinson, in such good form before his little run of injuries, was fit again and started up top, while Liam Thompson, whose start to life at York has been hampered by injury, got his chance off the bench, with Kieran Moran, back on dual-reg from Hull KR, alongside him.

Andy Ellis, a late withdrawal on Sunday, was passed fit to start at hooker, while fellow veteran Tommy Saxton was also back on the wing.

They replaced, respectively, Ronan Dixon, who suffered a neck injury last weekend, Joe Porter, who broke his jaw on the same day, big Bobby Tyson-Wilson, Will Jubb and Dee Foggin-Johnston.

Callum Lancaster, the former Hull wonderkid, continued on the wing, and did his chances of winning a contract no harm, also being involved in one of the game's flashpoints.

There were plenty familiar faces – seven ex-Knights - in the Thunder side.

Peter Fox – now coming to the end of a wonderful career which included record-breaking try-scoring exploits at hometown club York, eight years in Super League and six England caps – was on the wing. He showed some old mastery but was also involved in the aforementioned flashpoint.

Benn Hardcastle was in the halves, with Danny Nicklas, a favourite at York last year, utilised as sub hooker. The former’s kicking game turned the Knights around early on, and he bagged two tries. The latter had a mixed evening – being sin-binned for flattening his old half-back partner Jonny Presley not long after entering the fray.

In the pack were big Brett Waller and Jack Aldous, the Knights’ skipper last year and two-time Press Player of the Year, plus, off the bench, Rhys Clarke and George Milton, who represented York earlier this term on dual-reg from Hull KR but is now on loan on Tyneside. Aldous’ brother, Harry, was also in the second row.

Two penalties preceded Newcastle’s opener on seven minutes but the try surely should not have stood.

Derrell Olpherts seemingly bounced the ball down from a foot above the ground but referee Scott Mikalauskas said it was good. Mikalauskas may have been unsighted but his touch judge – was he unsighted too? - gave a nod.

Hardcastle got the second try, latching onto the loose ball after his own grubber kick was deflected.

York had looked a little lacklustre but hit back with a try out of nothing.

Ash Robson, showing just what makes him an exciting full-back, made it as he fielded a kick near his own line and blasted through the chasers, found space and fed Nick Rawsthorne, who sprinted the 60 metres home, adding his first of two conversions.

The Knights then dominated without initially being able to break through.

Consecutive penalties, two for high tackles and one for holding down, brought repeat sets, plus a team warning for the hosts. Liam Harris’ grubber also forced a dropout. But Newcastle’s defence was eager, Fox’s crunching tackle on James Haynes ending that spell of pressure.

However, it soon restarted, and York did reap reward.

Two more penalties were followed by a yellow card for Nicklas for taking out Presley with a late tackle.

And when Ed Smith then got an offload out, man-of-the-match Robson backed himself on an angled run to the line.

Newcastle’s 12 men seemed to steady their ship but the Knights equalised before half-time with a 37-metre penalty by Rawsthorne, Hardcastle foolishly giving the free-kick away by holding down on the last tackle.

Thunder regained ascendancy after half-time thanks to two early penalties, but York held out, regained a foothold and would have taken the lead but for a terrible professional foul by Fox.

Liam Harris’ chip to the corner was perfect for Lancaster to catch and touch down but he was taken out off the ball around the neck by the former York Acorn junior.

Fox was sin-binned but there was no penalty try.

Thunder continued to transgress, too, a high tackle on Robson being followed by fisticuffs which saw Robson and Joe Brown also yellow-carded.

At 11 v 12, York took the lead as wily prop Robinson spotted the chance on the short side and was not to be stopped on the end of Harris’ crash ball.

York had another chance as Presley drew in defenders but Smith’s inside ball to Siddons went to ground, possibly after a Newcastle deflection.

The hosts had the scrum but Ali Blair fumbled on the first tackle and was made to pay. This time Siddons gave Smith the chance to slip by his defender.

The Knights, like against Coventry, had been largely error-free in possession but Harris, the game star in recent weeks, blotted his personal copybook when dropping the ball 20 metres from his own line.

But he was rescued by wonderful defence. Home winger Blair had half a chance out wide but the likes of Saxton, Haynes and Presley not only held him up but shoved him out of bounds.

Thunder had another chance when Mikalauskas adjudged Ellis to have knocked on 20 metres out, but the hosts’ handling immediately let them down again.

Soon, though, some brilliance by Lewis Young gave the hosts late hope. Holding men off down the right flank, the fleet-footed stand-off somehow kicked inside where Hardcastle had an easy try and conversion to cut the gap to four points.

York also lost Rawsthorne to injury – the tackle being put on report but with Newcastle awarded the scrum for a knock-on.

They pressed for a winner, but the night belonged to the Knights.