COACH James Ford has singled out two individual York City Knights fans for praise and has hailed the supporters’ influence on his side this year.

The York fans have come in for praise over recent years, with a stark rise in attendances at Bootham Crescent coming in line with the team’s success on the field.

It was further highlighted in York’s most recent outing away to Halifax when approximately 500 Knights fans visited the Shay Stadium, the majority of whom were dressed in Hawaiian shirts.

The scheme was organised by club supports Ryan Foster and Lewis Sharp, with Ford keen to give the duo specific praise.

“The fans were great for the game against Halifax,” said Ford.

“They’ve done a great job all year and it was great for them to all be together.

“I think they’ve really helped this club grow. Ryan Foster and Lewis Sharp in particular did a really good job of organising the Hawaiian theme and it was fantastic to see.

“They’ve really supported us this year and it was great of the club to reward their loyal support with the free buses to the game.

“They came over in good spirits and the staff at Halifax were full of praise for them.

It wasn’t just Hawaiian shirts and elaborate inflatables that were on show in Halifax last weekend. Plenty of York fans donned face masks of both Ford and the club’s chairman Jon Flatman.

Ford laughed: “The masks were a little bit scary to be honest.

“There’s no need for more than one Jon Flatman in this world!”

On his own mask, Ford quipped: “I think I’ve lost a bit of weight since the photo that was used for my face mask.”

At 2pm today, York begin their 2019 Betfred Championship play-off campaign with a visit to Stade Ernest Argeles in the qualifying final.

The winner will travel to Toronto in the semi-final while the loser hosts the winner of Leigh and Featherstone - who face off tomorrow - in the other semi-final.

The match is available to watch live and for free on the Our League app, which can be viewed on smart phones, tables or desktop.