YORK have been sucked deeper into the relegation zone after they slumped to a 13-6 defeat against Sheffield Tigers.

The loss, York's tenth of a season that promised so much, means the Clifton parkers are now fourth from bottom - just two points ahead of fellow strugglers North Ribblesdale.

The Tigers, who themselves were chasing promotion early on in the season, took an early lead through Matt Wood, with Rob Pound converting.

York hit back with two Mike Ford penalties, only for Pound to stretch the Sheffield advantage to 10-6 at the break.

A drab second period saw Pound score the only points of the half, when he found his range with a penalty.

Updated: 11:58 Monday, March 18, 2002