York City Knights chiefs declared last night's historic excursion to Bootham Crescent a success after 1,520 fans watched the Knights beat Gateshead Thunder 54-26.

The home league fixture between the sides last year attracted 1,271 people to Huntington Stadium on Good Friday, and saw underdogs Gateshead shock the hosts with a 29-12 reverse.

Last night therefore brought a 20 per cent increase on that attendance - and saw the Knights jump back into the second qualifying spot in the Yorkshire group of the Arriva Trains Cup with an eight-try romp.

And although coach Richard Agar described the performance as frustrating, both he and chairman Roger Dixon enjoyed the Bootham Crescent experience.

Dixon told the Evening Press: "I'm happy with the crowd and I'm very grateful on behalf of the Knights to the directors, back-room staff and supporters of York City FC for allowing us to play here and helping us out. Special thanks goes to (City secretary) Keith Usher and groundsman Jez Milner for their assistance.

"I hope the fans who attended the game enjoyed the experience of watching rugby at Bootham Crescent and I was glad they attended in such numbers."

It was York RL's first time back in the city centre since leaving Clarence Street in 1989, and Agar said: "I thought the fans generated a great atmosphere. It's a lovely playing surface and it's been an enjoyable experience.

"I'm happy with the attendance. For a Wednesday night against Gateshead it was an excellent crowd."

He added: "I can't see any reason why we should not play here again if the circumstances dictate."

The Evening Press, however, believes the Knights are unlikely to return to Bootham Crescent in the foreseeable future, last night's game having been a one-off after it was rearranged due to the club's Challenge Cup run and the unavailability of Huntington Stadium in midweek.

As for the Knights' performance, Agar - despite the big win - was nonplussed, especially with the defence and the missed chances against a side without a win this season and reduced to 12 men after 16 minutes last night.

"My main concern is not necessarily the amount of points we've let in but the way we let them in," said Agar.

"Our defence stopped coming forward and we were missing one-on-one tackles. It was not good enough. Going into the game we set ourselves some defensive targets and we failed miserably.

"There were very few positives. We're probably happy with scoring 50-plus points but the amount of dead-set chances we've let slip was again too shoddy.

"We got in try-scoring positions (in addition to the eight tries) but our execution was poor. I'm not talking about ifs, buts and maybes but times when there should have been dead-set tries. Final passes have not been on the money.

"Take nothing away from Gateshead. They've got some big-hearted kids and one or two talented players, and they were enterprising. But overall it was disappointing."

Agar conceded the Challenge Cup run, culminating in their quarter-final defeat at Huddersfield on Sunday, had perhaps taken its toll, while tiredness after that match and complacency - after beginning the game with 24 points in 25 minutes - might also have played a part.

"We've had a big month, but we're not looking for excuses," he added. "Our start (last night) was brilliant but we might question the way we tailed off."

Agar is likely to utilise his full squad in the next fortnight as the Knights continue their run of five games in 15 days. They entertain Dewsbury on Sunday and visit Featherstone on Good Friday aiming to secure progression in the Arriva Cup before opening their National League Two campaign at home to Chorley on Bank Holiday Monday.

Agar, who has seen his injury list abate this week, added: "Everybody will get a chance to impress before the Chorley game."

Updated: 10:52 Thursday, April 01, 2004