IT’S probably crept up on a few people but York City Knights are only one game from promotion.

That’s 80 minutes from booking matches against Widnes, Halifax, former foes Featherstone and the like, and the city should sit up and take notice again, just like it did when they last reached a grand final, in 2004, and in the new club’s one promotion, in 2005.

Only Oldham – a team they should have beaten in last week’s Championship One qualifying semi-final – now stand in their way, after Dave Woods’ re-energised charges reached next Sunday’s grand final courtesy of a 38-18 semi-final victory over Blackpool at Huntington Stadium yesterday, the ease of which was as surprising as it was comprehensive.

Blackpool had come with confidence. The big-spenders, who would have finished above the Knights had they not been docked ten points, had negotiated their play-off passage with aplomb, while the Knights were nursing wounds of their loss at Oldham as well as a flu-like virus which had affected half a dozen players.

They were also left without powerful centre Ian Bell on the eve of the game.

But, with a couple of changes to last week’s team – fit-again Mike Mitchell back in place of Bell and James Haynes swapping the bench with Paul Stamp – the Knights gleaned early ascendancy and maintained an intensity the Panthers could not match.

Blackpool played surprisingly poorly, with errors aplenty in the wind and rain, but the Knights, showing no ill-effects, mentally or physically, from last week, were tight, determined and creative when it counted.

Moreover, the pack, in particular the four front-rowers in Alex Benson, Nathan Freer, rookie Jack Stearman and even rookier rookie Callum Dinsdale, won their battle hands down – overcoming notorious bully boy Andy Hobson et al – and this allowed Chris Thorman to give a masterclass at half-back.

Thorman, the former England captain, set up three of York’s four first-half tries, outmanoeuvred his opposition, kicked them to bits, and sealed the win with the team’s sixth touchdown.

Such form is one of several reasons the Knights should go to Warrington’s Halliwell Jones Stadium believing they can this time topple the Roughyeds.

Thorman was renewing a half-back partnership with Danny Ratcliffe, who replaced Stamp at scrum-half, with Haynes taking his place at full-back.

Ratcliffe was in Thorman’s shadow in the first period, but he still bagged a try and he came into his own in the second half, scoring a solo effort at a crucial time – and giving further evidence why the Knights should fend off competition for his signature next term.

That half-back partnership clicked into gear in only the fourth minute to give Lee Waterman the kind of half-chance he has gobbled up all season. The top-scorer stood up, looked at the defence, and duly beat them.

That early ascendancy was maintained, with Blackpool full-back Martin Ainscough looking like a frightened rabbit under two towering Thorman bombs.

He spilled both and, although referee Gareth Hewer dubiously deemed the ball went backwards both times, an eagle-eyed touch judge ruled a Panther offside when picking up the loose ball on the second occasion.

In the next set, Jack Lee’s pass had Benson blasting over, Waterman adding the first of his four conversions.

In Blackpool’s first attack, 18 minutes in, on the back of a penalty given away by Thorman, centre Casey Mayberry did the damage and gave the scoring pass to Carl Forber. Tom Hemmingway kicked the first of his three goals.

But Thorman soon made amends. Blackpool’s Dean Thompson threw the ball away in the next hit-up and, when Thorman looked trapped on the last tackle that followed, he dabbed a perfect kick for Ratcliffe to score.

Thorman orchestrated the next try too. He firstly had Stearman storming forward with his first touch after coming on, and when the ball was played back, Thorman’s perfect chip found Danny Wilson in acres to score.

Blackpool, shellshocked, had rarely got into home territory. Pantomime prop Hobson was also getting wound up, especially when Ratcliffe and Stearman mocked his knock-on, no doubt to the delight of their team-mate Freer, who gained his revenge – for the off-the-ball attack that left him needing stitches the last time the teams met – on the scoreboard.

Blackpool’s first set of the second half was good, and they were unlucky when Hewer ruled out a try for offside at the end of it, after the otherwise impressive Haynes had spilled a kick under pressure.

Their captain, Mark McCully, was stupid in the next set, conceding a penalty on Stearman, to let Waterman make it 22-6 with the two-pointer.

But Ross knocked on the fierce restart, Luke Hardbottle also fumbled, and Thorman gave away another penalty, rare errors that kept the visitors interested, and the pressure paid dividends as Paul Anderson crossed.

Anderson’s dissent after a knock-on ended with another Waterman two-pointer, but, at 24-12, the next touchdown could still have brought Blackpool a roll-on.

As it was, York winger Wayne Reittie pulled off a try-saving tackle on Paul Alcock, and the tide turned back the hosts’ way through Ratcliffe, who wriggled, dived and scrambled beyond three tacklers to score. Soon after, Benson and Ratcliffe broke through and Thorman sped home.

The game was now up and, although McCully finished well to cut the gap late on, Waterman converted a third penalty for dissent to seal the result.


Match facts

Knights 38, Blackpool 18

Knights: Haynes 7, Reittie 7, Mitchell 7, Waterman 8, Wilson 7, Thorman 9, Ratcliffe 8, Freer 8, Lee 8, Benson 8, Ross 8, Esders 7, Hardbottle 8.

Subs (all used): Stamp 6, Lewis 6, Dinsdale 8, Stearman 8.

Tries: Waterman 4; Benson 14; Ratcliffe 21, 59; Wilson 28; Thorman 63.

Conversions: Waterman 14, 21, 59, 63.

Penalties: Waterman 43, 52, 77.


Blackpool: Ainscough, Munro, Mayberry, Thompson, Woodcock, Forber, Hemmingway, Anderson, J Clough, Hobson, Helliwell, Alcock, McCully.

Subs (all used): Keavney, Llewellyn, Best, Holland.

Tries: Forber 18; Anderson 53; McCully 76.

Conversions: Hemmingway 18, 53, 76.

Penalties: None.


Man of the match: Chris Thorman – orchestrated the first-half lead, kicked the Panthers to death, and, barring a quiet ten-minute patch early in the second half, was the commander-in-chief of an excellent victory.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven) – a couple of dodgy calls but not too bad and kept control well enough.

Penalty count: 10-4.

Weather watch: windy and wet.

Half-time: 20-6.

Attendance: 673.

Moment of the match: Chris Thorman capped a masterclass at half-back by sprinting home for the Knights’ sixth try to seal victory, after Alex Benson’s off- load put Danny Ratcliffe clear.

Gaffe of the match: the fact only 673 were in attendance. This team deserve better.

Game-breaker: Wayne Reittie’s thumping tackle on Paul Alcock not only stopped the Blackpool second-row in his tracks, but it prevented a try which would have brought the visitors within one score. York went up the other end and Danny Ratcliffe made it 30-12.

Match rating: Blackpool were disappointing but let that not take away from the Knights’ superiority.