JAMES FORD insisted that “lots of teams would have lost” the match which saw York City Knights narrowly prevail 16-14 over Widnes Vikings.

York led for only five minutes away to Widnes, coming from behind to eventually run out as winners despite failing to hit anywhere near their best for sustained periods.

Having trailed 14-4 at half time, the Knights struggled throughout the second half but Joe Brown and James Glover tries were enough to edge past the hosts.

“First and foremost, commiserations to Widnes,” reflected Ford.

“I thought they played pretty well and they challenged us for 80 minutes and caused us some problems to some degree and could feel aggrieved not to have taken something from the game.

“It certainly wasn’t a vintage York performance. We fell short of our standards individually at times and collectively also.

“But we’ve really stuck together when things didn’t go to plan. We pulled together even more so when we’ve been tested by a decent side.

“Lots of teams would have lost that game but we found numerous ways to hang in there and eventually claw our way in front and see the game out.”

Victory by narrow margins is not a new-found trait of this York side. The Knights also won by two points against London Broncos (36-34) last time out while the same opposition were beaten by only a couple in the capital in March (26-24).

After a disappointing 2021, it appears that Ford’s side have regathered an ability to win closely-fought games, a trademark of the 2019 success.

“We’re a very together group and we’re all here for the right reasons,” explained Ford.

“We all want to be the best versions of ourselves and take York even further forward than they are at the moment.

“We know what we need to do to do that. We’re playing against some pretty good sides and that character and resilience has been absolutely central to a number of our wins this season.”