JAMES FORD has insisted that there will be no excuses for a ‘Wembley hangover’ as York City Knights look to build on their heartbreak in the 1895 Cup final.

York return to Betfred Championship action on Sunday (3pm) against Swinton Lions at the LNER Community Stadium following their 41-34 defeat to Featherstone Rovers at the national stadium last weekend.

The Knights showed plenty of positive signs against the division’s pace-setters and will look to use that as a platform to build from when they look to end a six-game losing run in the league on Sunday.

“We want to deal with the emotional rollercoaster of last week really positively,” said York head coach Ford.

“We don’t want any hangovers, we want to use it as a platform to kickstart the rest of our season.

“We spoke about it (the Wembley hangover) on Tuesday and spoke about having no excuses this week and ensuring that we come into the game with the same amount of energy and fight as we did against Featherstone.”

York’s strong showing was aided significantly by the return of loanee half-back Mikey Lewis from Hull Kingston Rovers.

The 20-year-old had a hand in two of York’s tries before bagging one himself. Most crucially, his kicking game gave the Knights’ attack far more threat following several weeks of out-of-position players featuring in the halves.

Ford added: “I thought Mikey was good. First and foremost, Mikey is a competitor and he competes with and without the ball. He inspires people around him with his competitive nature.

“On top of that, he’s got a good kicking game, he’s a good organiser and he is going to be a really good player. I’m really grateful that we’ve got him.

Like so many stand-out loan players seen at York this year, the key question is how long the Knights can keep him.

“I don’t want to put words into anybody’s mouth but Hull KR have got quite a few fixtures coming around the corner,” said Ford.

“Mikey is certainly capable of playing in those if Hull KR select him. If they do, we wish him the very best in those games. If they don’t and he stays with us, that’s a bonus.”

Standing between York and a first Championship win since early June are Swinton Lions - coincidentally, the team that the Knights overcame that afternoon.

Despite the Lions have lost all of their 13 league matches this year and having conceded the most points in the division, Ford is not taking the challenge lightly.

He explained: “They shift the ball a lot. In yardage they will try and play across you and they’re at their very best when they’re attacking your goal line.

“Their willingness to flood with numbers is good and enjoyable to watch. We’ll have to be really good defensively and that starts with our kicking game. Having two half-backs will certainly help us with that.

“They’ve got some really talented individuals. Jack Hansen is a threat, whether at full-back or in the halves, Luke Waterworth is a dangerous player and Mikey Butt on the wing is a real handful.

“They’re a good side and we’ll have to build on our performance at the weekend, which we’re aspiring to do.”