YORK City Knights’ super start to the season continued as they notched a battling 26-12 Ladbrokes Challenge Cup victory over Swinton Lions – and potentially a money-spinning draw in round five.

Playing in snow, mud and a biting wind at Featherstone Rovers’ ground, the League One outfit built a 20-0 lead midway through the first half playing down the infamous Post Office Road hill.

But Championship side Swinton fought back to 20-12 and had plenty of pressure in the second half with the slope advantage, only for James Ford’s men to dig in before ploughing their way up a pitch increasingly resembling a paddy field, and securing victory with a late penalty and try.

The Knights did so, too, despite having forfeited home advantage to get the game on, with Bootham Crescent waterlogged and with no available dates on which to reschedule the game before round five.

The Featherstone pitch itself had to pass a morning inspection and such were the freakish conditions that the old-fashioned orange ball for winter made a rare appearance.

The Knights were also without any dual-reg or loan recruits aside Hull KR full-back Kieren Moss, while prop Adam Robinson was rested ahead of important League One games against Keighley and Doncaster.

Front-rowers Dan Hawksworth and Rory Dixon were duly brought in and did their bit, while Graeme Horne switched from second-row to prop and Joe Batchelor from centre to second-row, with Jake Normington recalled into the threequarters.

The most notable change saw winger Ben Cockayne fill in at half-back, a position he hasn’t played since first coming out of the amateur game a dozen years ago. The veteran performed like he had played there for years, capping his display with a first-half try and a wonderful late assist to help seal the success.

Young Judah Mazive took Cockayne’s wing berth, picked ahead of veteran former Fev winger Tommy Saxton, despite the latter’s knowledge of this ground, and he too vindicated selection with superb tries at either end of the match.

Swinton were likewise without dual-reg and loan players other than St Helens stand-off Robert Fairclough but still began as favourites given their higher-tier status.

York seemed to have the tie in the bag early on.

They took the lead inside four minutes on the back of a penalty. Cockayne was involved as the ball was moved sharply along the line for Mazive to spectacularly dive into the corner and counter a last-ditch tackle.

Connor Robinson – whose kicking game was excellent for these conditions - expertly goaled his first of three first-half conversions from the touchline.

Robinson’s left boot then set up the second try just four minutes later, scored by Cockayne.

It was a last-tackle play straight off the training ground, with Robinson shaping a kick towards the posts and Cockayne already on the move, hunting down full-back Gabriel Fell, and delicately hacking on before diving on the ball before it went dead.

Cockayne was also the tackler to force the error when Swinton got a rare early set in York’s half, on the back of a penalty.

The Knights missed a chance down the left wing, the intended pass to Ash Robson on a powerplay going out of bounds, but they were keeping play at the bottom end of the field, and they increased their lead on 23 minutes.

Having forced a repeat set, Chris Siddons’ sharp pass gave captain marvel Tim Spears the chance to crash over between the sticks.

Robinson eked the lead up to 20-0 before the half-hour with a 35-metre penalty for offside and it looked like York were cruising.

However, a little knock-on by replacement hooker Will Jubb set up Swinton’s first bit of concerted pressure - and a turnaround in the game.

A lucky ricochet then a penalty forced repeat sets, and then a knock-on by Mazive kept play at the top end.

The pressure told as centre George Tyson fought off tacklers to get over. Chris Hankinson converted.

A penalty then a repeat set forced by Robinson’s grubber had play back down the other end, but the snow and mud made fluent, fluid rugby difficult.

Instead, a penalty relieved the pressure, a fumble under a kick by Mazive gave Swinton one last chance of a first-half score, and the visitors duly cut the gap with a penalty goal on the hooter after interference by Batchelor.

Having been four scores behind, Swinton began the second half down the slope just two converted tries in arrears.

They also began it on the attack after Joe Porter lost his footing under the kick-off and spilled the ball.

Two penalties also kept Swinton in the red zone but York’s defence showed their mettle, and they took play up the other end of a pitch increasingly resembling a paddy field.

Swinton errors aided them, though their own handed possession back.

And it was very much game on again before the hour-mark as Swinton broke downfield through Jack Hansen for Rhodri Lloyd to steam over by the right flag, the tackling for once off kilter.

The Lions soon seemed set to score again down the left, but this time the tackling was heroic, scrambling defence somehow keeping them out.

The second-half penalty count was nevertheless growing in the Lions’ favour, at 6-1, adding to the pressure.

But this team are clearly made of stern stuff.

They kept the Lions at bay and, when they gleaned a set at the top end, a Swinton forward pass followed by dissent, gave Robinson the chance to eke up the lead to 22-12 with eight minutes left.

Pressure seemingly waning, the Knights, led by the likes of Sam Scott, Graeme Horne, skipper Spears and, with some tactical kicks to touch, Cockayne, then sealed victory.

It was that man Cockayne again, this time with a wonderfully weighted grubber onto which Mazive sped through the mud for this second touchdown.

The frustration clearly got to Lions prop Andy Bracek, who was sin-binned shortly afterwards following some unnecessary afters. But by then it mattered little, the match already all but over.