Knights 24, Rochdale 18 (From York Press)

Knights 24, Rochdale 18

7:54am Monday 4th September 2006

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Rochdale Hornets made the mistake of turning up thinking the Knights had nothing to play for.

They were wrong. And the 80 minutes that followed emerged as a blow-by-blow lesson as to why. Those who play for pride play for something great with something untouchable.

Coach Darren Abram will have them writing it out 100 times before their final game next weekend.

To be fair, his boys more than played their part cast as the kind of doormat that has pictures of shoes and a helpful wipe here' instruction emblazoned on it.

In possession they dropped the ball, threw it out of touch, kicked it behind their own line and collapsed under tackles with fresh air and the line beckoning.

Without the ball they were just as clueless as the Knights frequently nipped through the centre and right-winger Peter Fox made taking the long route to the left side look easy.

Press player of the month Scott Rhodes spun out of a tackle to get the first points on the board on four minutes, setting up prop Adam Sullivan for the sweetest of tries ten minutes later, the number eight darting through on a cheeky diagonal to end a delightful passage of play.

There was more to come: Dave Buckley, Jason Golden and Rob Spicer combined in one of many private join-the-offload sidelines down the left only for Dan Potter to mis-handle, minutes before a dangerous Rhodes-Blaymire-Sullivan shuffle down the middle.

Unsurprisingly, York's third try came courtesy of another offload after Fox sprinted the best part of 40 yards and squirmed through several tackles to set Potter up on 30 minutes.

It was the kind of rugby played against a team desperate to force their way into the play-offs that would have pricked at the conscience of the genius who deemed that two should be relegated from a ten-team league.

When the half-time hooter went it just didn't seem fair that the first promoted team ever to win five matches - a third of the season if York can topple Leigh next week in a final outrageous hurrah - don't even get the chance of a play-off.

It's so cruelly black and white in a place where grey used to add colour.

Admittedly, the second half battle to keep their chins above water will have made the aforementioned genius feel a little easier as Rochdale hit back with two tries and, at one period, reduced the gap to four points.

Mistakes and indiscipline gave them chances - Ian Gordon caught Buchanan napping on the last tackle for an easy-as-you-like try on 66 minutes.

But it was a resolute defence with big tackles from Blaymire and Lingard among others that prevented a complete turnaround.

That, and the 100 per cent kicking of Paul Thorman into a nightmare wind, including a great 40-20.

The other lesson was a more personal one, aimed at a certain Phil Hasty.

The half-back ditched his Knights armour for a Hornets' sting not long after the Spotland gig in April.

That move alone - and the cloud surrounding it - was enough in itself to justify the Pop Stand boo-boys throughout the match but he added to that with an antagonistic performance your average rebellious supermodel would be proud of to cement his lack of player-of-the-year nominations.

Adding a knee to the face of Dan Potter after one early play-the-ball set things rolling and a general added extras' policy by him and prop David McConnell resulted in gentle giant Joe Helme mistaking Hasty for a basketball on 57 minutes.

Hasty's sarcastic congratulatory pat on the back said it all.

Last season, the National League Two trophy was on the pitch come the final whistle as the fans cheered promotion despite defeat on the day.

Ironic then that the Hornet-instigated all-in scrap at the hooter marked relegation 12 months on. At least the Knights still have that fighting spirit.

Match Facts

Knights: Blaymire 8, Lingard 8, Spurr 7, Potter 7, Fox 8, Rhodes 8, Thorman 8, Sullivan 7, Liddell 7, Ward 7, Golden 8, Buckley 7, Spicer 8. Subs (all used): Wray 7, Priestly 7, Buchanan 7, Helme 7.

Tries: Rhodes 4; Sullivan 14; Potter 30. Conversions: Thorman 4, 14, 30. Penalties: Thorman 26, 62, 79 Drop-goals: None. Sin-binned: None. Sent off: None.

Rochdale: Giles, Gordon, Anderson, King, Patterson, Hasty, Firth, Ball, McConnell, Hill, Varjulis, Sturm, Doran. Subs (all used): Ross, Norman, Robinson, Benjafield.

Tries: Norman 34; Sturm 47; Gordon 66. Conversions: King 34, 47, 66. Penalties: None. Drop-goals: None. Sin-binned: None. Sent off: None.

Man of the match: Paul Thorman - Defied a very strong cross-field wind with a crucial 100 per cent kick conversion rate and was more than a man in defence. Referee: Mike Dawber (Wigan). Rating: Looked sharp but missed several post-tackle extras and could have done more to prevent the final hooter scrap with a touch more authority as the tensions started building.

Penalty count: 9-5. Attendance: 1,196. HT: 20-6.

Weather watch: Very stiff cross-pitch wind made for difficult kicking conditions and bad hair days all round.

Gamebreaker: The all-hands to the deck defending in the final five minutes may have been ugly but it did the trick.

Moment of the match: Dave Buckley, Chris Spurr and Adam Sullivan collapsed on the returning Phil Hasty on eight minutes to set the scene for the match - to the backdrop of Pop Stand cheers.

Match rating: Relegation? What relegation? Great rugby with the obligatory nail-biting second half.

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