YORK CITY KNIGHTS head coach James Ford says that his side haven’t focused upon their Betfred Championship play-off situation ahead of Sunday's crucial game against Featherstone Rovers (3pm).

York are currently fourth in the Championship table, with just three league games remaining, and can seal their spot in the play-offs should they defeat fellow top-five contenders Featherstone - who sit a place and a point behind - at Bootham Crescent.

They’ll also secure a place in the top five should Sheffield lose their game to Barrow and Bradford fail to win at Dewsbury.

Ford though says that his group aren’t looking at the play-off situation as it currently stands.

“To be honest, we’re not really focused upon the top five,” said Ford when asked about how his side will prepare for the high-pressure encounter.

“We’re looking to set our standards as high as possible and to continue to do that.

“We’ve got three games left in the season and making the play-offs is in our hands. We’re just looking to perform to the best of our abilities.

“In all honesty, we’ve not really thought about the play-off situation. For me, we’ve surpassed the expectations of others and there’s no pressure on us.

“We’re just enjoying playing our rugby and working hard to improve during our training and matches.”

Last season York went head to head with Bradford in the race for the League 1 title. The Knights coach says it’s experience that his side can utilise heading into the final stage of the campaign.

“Over the past couple of seasons, we’ve won a lot of close high-pressure games and shown a lot of mental toughness and know-how to get through those matches,” added Ford.

“I think that’s been shown in the wins that we’ve been able to see out. Of course, we’ll be looking to draw upon that experience going into these final few games of the season.

“But, with that said, the Championship is a whole different kettle of fish to League One.

“There are full-time teams in this league and even the part-time teams train and compete as if they’re full-time. It’s a fantastic competition to be a part of.”