AFTER several years of waiting, fans finally set foot inside the LNER Community Stadium.

A total of 1,000 supporters entered the new ground as it opened its doors for the first time and watched York City Knights defeat 12-man Oldham 34-6.

In the end, the result mattered little as, after years of delays to its opening and more than a year of coronavirus restrictions, history was made.

It is well within living memory that a homeless York were travelling round different community club grounds to fulfil matches and had permanent training base.

Now though, the Knights possesses a state-of-the-art, 8,500-seater ground, with its fans finally able to watch their side in action.

The excitement of the crowd was palpable and was perhaps best summarised by a fan in a Superman costume and with a mask of chairman Jon Flatman.

York made three changes to the side which won at Widnes last week. At last, the club’s injury picture appears to be brightening as James Ford recalled two previously injured players.

Tyme Dow-Nikau returned at centre and Kriss Brining was back on the bench.

Ronan Dixon was also named as an interchange, with Liam Salter, Danny Washbrook and Joe Porter missing out.

Despite the noisy support behind them from kick-off, it was Oldham who came closest to scoring. In the games early stages.

From a high Dan Abram kick, Oldham won a repeat set and immediately the visitors went left, though Ryan Ince dropped the ball in his dive for the line.

Minutes later, Oldham deservedly managed to find a way through. York’s James Green lost possession at the play-the-ball and, when Oldham forced another set from as an Ince kick deflected off Green back into his path.

The pressure was too much for the Knights as Daniel Bridge get through from a flat pass, with Dan Abram converting.

That score kicked York back into life and they quickly responded. Off the back of a penalty in their own half, they stormed downfield and Will Jubb, via some deflections, managed to ground a Riley Dean grubber. Kieran Dixon’s kick levelled the scores.

It would be fair to say that the highest quality was not on show from either side, the pressure of the crowds being back perhaps being a factor.

Midway through the half, Oldham knocked on after winning the ball from a loose Adam Cuthbertson offload. Back in attack though, Dow-Nikau couldn’t hold on to Mikey Lewis’ pass.

As the half progressed, Oldham again asserted themselves as the aggressors. Matthew Fletcher went close with a great drive for the line and, on the power play, Martyn Reilly was just about held up.

The visitors forced a goal line drop out and were only stopped when Dow-Nikau produced a last ditch intercept close to the line from an offload.

Oldham seemed to have the initiative at this point but it soon went against them when Thomas Nesbit was sent off for a high tackle on Dow-Nikau on the stroke of half time.

To their credit, Oldham had fought tremendously hard to reach the break level, but, as witnessed last week at Widnes, York were well short of their high standards in the opening 40 minutes.

It seemed like the Knights, one would guess with strong words still ringing in their ears, had turned a corner after the restart when Kieran Dixon went mightily close to touching down Dean’s grubber.

But, once more, the lacking ball handling from both sides came to the fore. York lost the ball on their own 20m mark and Oldham followed that up by knocking on from the fifth tackle in front of the posts.

In many ways, it was fitting then that the game’s next try would be scored from an error. An Oldham knock-on left York 25m out in centre-field, an opportunity they would not let down.

Their numerical advantage paid off as Dean’s cut-out pass left Kieran Dixon in acres of space to score on the left.

Knights fans thought they had scored through the same combination moments later only for the referee to rightfully call a forward pass.

Dean turner scorer as York went further in front on the hour. Sam Scott produced a brilliant offload from the ground and the half-back gleefully touched down. This time, Kieran Dixon’s kick was wide.

By now, York were well in the groove, their man advantage clearly paying dividends. The next scorer was unsurprising as Matty Marsh put James McDonnell through a gap before the forward returned the favour for the half to dive under the sticks.

Unable to handle the Knights’ pressure, a fifth try soon followed. Jubb was sharp at dummy half and fed Chris Clarkson’s slide next to the posts.

Into the final five minutes, York added further gloss to the scoreboard when Jubb scored his second, deceiving the Oldham defence with a huge dummy out of acting half from a few metres out.

Kieran Dixon conversions followed all three tries.

Shortly after full-time, York’s players went and applauded the fans in the ground - socially distanced of course. After so long, slowly but surely, normality is beginning to return.

York: Lewis, K Dixon, Dow-Nikau, Atkins, Jones-Bishop, Marsh, Dean, Baldwinson, Jubb, Green, McDonnell, Scott, Clarkson.

Subs (all used): R Dixon, Cuthbertson, Brining, Stock.

Tries: Jubb (17, 75), K Dixon (52), Dean (59), Marsh (61), Clarkson (67).

Goals: K Dixon (5/6)

Oldham: Nisbet, Brierley, Bridge, Roberts, Ince, D Abram, Hewitt, Kirk, Gregory, Nelmes, Pick,  Langtree, Bent.

Subs (all used): J Abram, Reilly, Fletcher, Dupree.

Tries: Bridge (13)

Goals: D Abram (1/1)

York’s man of the match: Sam Scott. Produced a brilliant offload for Riley Dean’s try and ran strongly too.