YORK City Knights yesterday put on the most scintillating 20 minutes of rugby league Huntington Stadium has seen for many a year.

The Knights had plugged away for almost 60 minutes against a talented Swinton side but, with luck having evaded them in the final third, they only had two Danny Brough penalties to show for their toil.

The Lions had even hit back with a goal of their own on 50 minutes and, with the wind now behind the visitors, the match was teetering on a knife-edge at 4-2 to York.

However, that breeze was nothing compared to the typhoon of force, flair and ferocity then unleashed by the Knights, an incredible blast of form which simply blew away the visitors.

Paul Broadbent's men scored seven tries and 36 points in 20 astonishing minutes to leave Swinton boss Peter Roe - a former coach of Broadbent - completely floored.

It was the first time York had put 40 points past any professional team since the old Wasps hammered the then struggling Oldham 70-8 in August 1999. It was also the first time York had prevented the opposition from crossing the whitewash since they lost 2-0 at Hull KR in December 2000.

Of course, it was all downhill for the Wasps from then on - but it seems the only way is up now for the Knights.

How quickly things have changed. Their last two home performances, against Gateshead and London Skolars, had been massively disappointing.

But yesterday's big win follows on from last week's terrific triumph at Barrow and sees the Knights jump into the National League Two play-off picture.

Just where yesterday's sudden and stunning surge came from is hard to tell. York had been the better team in the first half but they were not without error, with mistakes having hitherto hindered both sides' progress. Luckily for York, whenever they erred in their own territory, Swinton soon gave the ball back, while try-saving tackles by Graeme Hallas, Matt Blaymire and Chris Smith kept their line intact before the break.

At the other end a mixture of good defence, which held up both Lee Jackson and Neil Law over the line, and bad options in the final third restricted York to their two penalties, awarded for infringing at the play-the-ball and offside.

Nevertheless, they had the majority of the ball, so maybe Swinton - for whom Simon Knox and Lee Hudson were also sin-binned for preventing a quick play-the-ball and back-chat respectively - tired in the heat. The hosts had also utilised the wind better, notably through Brough's boot.

Then again, it seemed the Lions - with Chris Hough having goaled a penalty bought off Brough - were getting the upper hand at the time the seven-try salvo started.

That man Law began it all on 58 minutes with his fifth try in three games. Mick Ramsden brilliantly gathered Hallas' up-and-under and, after a quick play-the-ball, powerful Law proved unstoppable from ten yards, Brough goaling.

Three minutes later, York rewrote rugby league's unwritten rule by turning over a scrum, and from Brough's pass Law fed fit-again Alex Godfrey, who was like greased lightning into to the left corner.

Two minutes later, Jackson went blind down the right and his neat little grubber was meat and drink to Hallas.

At 18-2 and with Swinton again having a man in the sin-bin, it was virtually game over - but the Knights were just starting out.

Three minutes later, a breathtaking side-step and go by Scott Rhodes opened up a gap and Smith came from nowhere to take the scoring pass, Brough tagging the extras.

Just as it was announced that Smith had been named the sponsors' man of the match, he underlined the award by crossing again. Debutant Craig Forsyth got a great off-load out to Jackson, he found Hallas and he got the ball inside to Smith, who teased the defence before touching down. Brough goaled.

Smith then went to the blood-bin, receiving a great ovation, but the rest of the Knights were not done. Smith's replacement Blaymire notched a quick-fire double of his own, only missing out on a four-minute hat-trick due to a dodgy Hallas pass.

Ramsden gave a wonderful around-the-shoulder pass to send him racing in for his first, Brough converting, and two minutes later, Daz Callaghan's pass around his man set Ramsden away to again gave Blaymire the scoring chance.

The Knights could have rounded it all off with a last-minute touchdown after a Broadbent break set Hallas away, but the centre's pass was tired at best and Blaymire could not haul it in with the line begging.

Nevertheless, this missed opportunity was greeted only by smiles and another roar of 'York, York, York'.

Match Facts:

Knights: Smith 9, Blaymire 8, Hallas 8, Law 8, Godfrey 8, Rhodes 8, Brough 8, Burland 7, Jackson 8, Hayes 8, Ramsden 8, Cain 7, Krause 8. Subs (all used): Callaghan 8, Deakin 7, Forsyth 8, Broadbent 8.

Tries: Law 58; Godfrey 61; Hallas 63; Smith 66, 70; Blaymire 76, 78.

Cons: Brough 58, 66, 70, 76.

Pens: Brough 5, 17.

Lions: English, Roach, Tassell, Hassan, Hudson, Hough, Cannon, Hansen, Barraclough, Knox, Wingfield, Ellison, Russell. Subs (all used): Thorpe, Butler, Cushion, Loughlin.

Tries: None

Pen: Hough 50.

Sin-binned: Knox 24; Hudson 64.

Man of the match: Chris Smith - everyone was in the reckoning following that stunning last 20 minutes but Smith was superb throughout, with his exciting display capped by two tries.

Referee: Ben Thaler (Wakefield)

Penalty count: 10-7

HT: 4-0

Attendance: 1,003

Updated: 12:37 Tuesday, June 03, 2003