FRUSTRATED York City Knights coach Mick Cook has called on his side to stop playing in fits and starts if they want to get in the promotion shake-up.

The Knights began their LHF National League Two challenge yesterday with a 34-18 home to defeat to potential title rivals Swinton Lions, paying for an indifferent opening half-hour in which the visitors scored 18 unanswered points.

Errors later on also prevented the Knights sustaining a comeback and Cook says they need to play to their potential throughout the 80 minutes.

"We can't afford to give an 18-point start to anybody in this competition," he said.

"We really coughed and spluttered at the start particularly in defence, and with the ball we were playing too much one-out stuff and got picked off too easily.

"After 30 minutes we started to play a bit but you have to start games well, you have to hit the pitch running. We sat back a bit and paid the price.

"We failed for 30 minutes to have a go at them. Once we started to play we knew how to get them but we could not get there."

He added: "We need to match sides and be better than sides if we are to get any value from the season. We put small periods of good football together at times and cause teams problems but we need to play more constructively for longer periods."

The Knights were without a specialist winger yesterday after Peter Fox joined long-term absentees Austin Buchanan and Chris Ross on the treatment table due to a knock on Friday, so centres Calvin Watson and Neil Law played on the flanks, having mixed luck.

Law scored two touchdowns, but Watson was at fault for one of Swinton's tries and missed two opportunities, one a great chance, at the other end.

"I thought we had them for periods but we just failed to turn the screw when we could have done and when you're chasing 18 points it's always difficult," added Cook, lamenting those costly mistakes.

"If we play to our potential for longer periods we would have got more from the game."

Cook - who may also lose Matt Blaymire to injury, the full-back being set for X-rays on a suspected broken rib - reckons his side can not afford to slip up too many times again if they are to claim top spot.

"The league's only 18 games so it's going to be really tight," he said. "If you give three games away there's a chance you're not going to be there."

Updated: 10:42 Tuesday, March 29, 2005