YORK City Knights secured their first Betfred Championship win of the year in emphatic style after winning 64-16 at Swinton Lions.

York made a rapid start to score six tries inside the first half-hour and they continued to add to their tally after the break, running in 11 tries in total.

After their struggles in attack in recent weeks to post such a total with another new half-back combination was particularly impressive.

It also ended a long wait for a league win for York, who last recorded a Championship victory back in September 2019.

York’s starting 17 showed several changes from the side which were beaten by Sheffield Eagles last week.

Connor Wynne came straight in at full-back for his Knights debut after signing on loan from Hull FC earlier this week.

As a result, Matty Marsh moved into the halves alongside the returning Riley Dean meaning that Joe Keyes dropped out.

Danny Kirmond, Chris Clarkson and Jordan Baldwinson all featured after their injuries though James Green missed out with a hip issue.

York’s attack has looked a little out of sync over recent weeks, understandably so in some respects given the constant enforced switches in the halves.

Yet after just seven minutes, York found themselves in a 10-0 lead.

First, the Knights ran the ball on the last and the strength of Ryan Atkins saw him make a half-break and feed Kieran Dixon for an easy score in the corner.

Then, shortly after, Marsh’s nimble footwork saw him evade some weak Swinton defence and tee up Ronan Dixon for a charge under the posts.

His namesake Kieran Dixon missed the first of those conversion but, as he would for the rest of the tries, scored the latter.

York remained relentless early on and, with Swinton kicking from deeper and deeper in their own half as the game wore on, it was only going to be a matter of time before the visitors struck again.

On 15 minutes, they did, with Swinton again unable to control Marsh who sold the Lions a huge dummy before strolling to the line untouched.

There was nothing inventive about York’s next score, five minutes later, as three successive Knights sets, resulted in Ronan Dixon barging through under the sticks.

Sandwiched between those scores, Swinton’s problems were further compounded when chief playmaker Martyn Ridyard was forced off with an ankle injury.

It took 25 minutes before Swinton managed to kick inside the York half and when they did it was a poor one, with York surrounding Jack Hansen - the sole half-back on the field for the hosts.

From the resultant set, the lively debutant Wynne displayed his talent by scything through on halfway and then leaving full-back Geronimo Doyle in his wake before touching down.

It remained one-way traffic and interchanges Adam Cuthbertson and Marcus Stock were making immediate impacts off the bench.

On the half hour, Marsh bagged himself a double after sending Kirmond through a gap and the ex-Wakefield skipper’s return pass putting him over.

That put York into a 34-0 lead, one which they would take into half-time.

Immediately after restart, Swinton looked like a different side and got on the board within seconds of the second period.

A nice show of hands down the right saw Luis Roberts race into a wide gap and go the full 30m to score. Hansen added the two.

That served solely as a wake-up call to York as the Knights hit back soon after. As was now

custom, Marsh was its architect, grubber-kicking through for fellow half Dean to pounce on.

Marsh went from provider to scorer and made sure of a hat-trick in the process. The pass from Cuthbertson - who Swinton struggled to handle all game - put Baldwinson in space and, sure enough, in came the supporting Marsh to sprint to the whitewash.

As if matter could get any worse for Swinton, the hosts were down a man when Will Hope was sin-binned for dissent.

From that set, York scored again with Atkins getting his name on the scoresheet after collecting a neat Dean kick in-goal.

By now, the Lions looked to have lost their heads. They were down to 11 men when Nick Gregson shoulder barged Marsh in a late tackle.

And, as was now expected, again York crossed the line, on this occasion it being Dean who smartly cut back inside and went over.

To Swinton’s credit, they did manage to put some more points on the board in the game’s latter stages.

First of all, Swinton threw it wide which allowed Mike Butt to score by the corner flag and then, from another terrific run from the live-wire Geronimo Doyle, Louis Brogan went in from 30m out.

Hansen added the extras from the latter to leave the scores at 16-58.

But there remained time for York to finish off the action with another try - Marsh grabbing his fourth of the game after Kieran Dixon sped clear when the Lions lost the ball near the York line.

Swinton: Doyle, Butt, Cox, Roberts, Grant, Ridyard, Hansen, Brooks, Waterworth, Brogan, Lloyd, Gregson, Hope.

Subs (All used): Spencer, Jones, Luckley, Nash.

Tries: Roberts (41), Butt (71), Brogan (73)

Goals: Hansen (2/3)

Sin Bins: Hope (54), Gregson (58)

York: Wynne, Jones-Bishop, Salter, Atkins, K Dixon, Marsh, Dean, R Dixon, Jubb, Aydin, Kirmond, Peachey, Clarkson.

Subs (All used): Washbrook, Baldwinson, Stock, Cuthbertson.

Tries: K Dixon (4), R Dixon (7, 20), Marsh (15, 30, 52, 80), Wynne (25), Dean (45, 59), Atkins (55)

Goals: K Dixon (10/11)

York’s Star Man: Matty Marsh. Classy performance from Marsh who scored four tries and had a hand in a number of York’s other scores. Food for though for Ford as to whether he remains in the halves.