YORK City Knights chief executive Steve Ferres has lauded praise on the fans for their continued support for the new club.

The Knights followed up the bumper 3,100 crowd for the opening day Arriva Trains Cup match against Hull KR with a 1,500 attendance at their second home game, the Challenge Cup tie against Doncaster on Sunday.

There has also been good travelling support away to Skirlaugh and Doncaster, and Ferres reckons the Knights are on the way towards ending the season as the best-supported club in National League Division Two.

"It was a tremendous turn-out again," he said. "We had 500 more people here than (Division One club) Doncaster got at the previous game between the teams last week, which shows the support we're getting from York.

"We want to give a big thank you to the people for turning out and supporting us."

The Knights have added to their pre-match entertainment on and off the pitch at Huntington Stadium, and Ferres added: "We're looking to provide real match-day entertainment and obviously we're endeavouring to give them the wins the fans want.

"We might not have got the results so far but we're all working towards it, and we've got three new players - Darren Robinson, Jonny Firth and Tommy Gallagher - who will be available this weekend (away to Featherstone in the Arriva Trains Cup), which shows we're not standing still.

"It's difficult for us coming straight in and playing teams from the division above, but we're getting stronger week by week and we're adding players to improve the squad."

The league season begins in April after the Arriva Trains Cup group games, and Ferres added: "I think that due to the level of support we're getting we will be the best supported side in Division Two."

TALKING of the match-day atmosphere, how many club chairman do you see selling programmes before a game while dancing to pop music?

Not many, that's for sure, so Knights fans should be delighted to note that their chairman, Roger Dixon, is among the special few who like to get so involved.

Dixon was spotted at one of the entrances to Huntington Stadium holding a bundle of programmes and bopping away to the music playing over the speakers.

Apparently he has threatened to take his mini-act onto the pitch as part of pre-match entertainment.

SPEAKING of speakers, fans were treated to a new sound experience at Huntington Stadium on Sunday.

The club have installed a new public address and music system at the ground, and the difference compared to the old tannoy system was clear to hear.

The improvements, though, have caused some debate, with many fans lauding the change but others saying it was frankly too loud.

Either way, the Press can reveal that the system in use on Sunday could well be a temporary measure as a better system is in the offing.

Those worried about whether their ears can take any more volume should note that the system being planned would have twice as many speakers.

However, fans' committee member Gary Hall, who has been looking into the improvements, explained that more speakers, paradoxically, does not necessarily mean more volume. In fact, if there were more speakers, the sound could reach more areas and, therefore, the volume could be turned down. Does that make sense?

THE work of match-day announcer Darren Payne has also come in for varying comments this week.

One letter writer in the Evening Press today, for example, was not happy with his performance and some fans have questioned whether he should gee the crowd up during a match, but several others have argued it was a good way of stoking up the atmosphere and getting the crowd involved.

The club have always said they are happy to hear people's opinions and would act on them to improve the match-day experience.

APOLOGIES might be due to Doncaster forward Craig Lawton.

Last week's match report - following consultation with several witnesses - stated number 12 Lawton should have been sin-binned for tearing into the melee at the end of the first half. However, it has since been claimed it was in fact number 13 Matt Walker who had run 25 yards to get involved. No action either during the match or since has since been taken by officials.

Doncaster players cited - see right.

WELL done to Phil Seymour and co for organising the fund-raising quiz on Wednesday night.

The event raised about £100 for the coffers and as these "Quiz Knights" have proved popular they are now set to become a monthly event.

I won't say who stormed to victory on Wednesday as I will be accused of showing off. But I will say the top prize has so far gone down very well (literally).

SIXTY-NINE years ago this week, a record crowd of 14,631 turned out to watch York and Swinton meet in the Challenge Cup first round - and incredibly they saw no points scored.

The crowd was the biggest-ever at Clarence Street and thus the biggest-ever for a York home game. But they all left a little disappointed as, despite heavy pressure from the hosts, the game ended 0-0. Nevertheless, York upset the odds in the replay and won 15-5.

Updated: 09:22 Saturday, February 15, 2003