YORK City Knights will welcome Halifax to Bootham Crescent tomorrow with boss James Ford saying the togetherness in the visitors' camp is something his own club is looking to emulate.

Halifax have been one of the country's leading part-time clubs for a dozen years, finishing in the top four of the Championship in 10 of those seasons.

Ford believes the spirit in the Shay camp is key to that success and, while a strong team bond has been a feature of the Knights' own League One triumph last term and their super start to this season too, he says his team could still learn from their foes.

“That’s what we’re working towards," he said of the West Yorkshire team's togetherness.

"Halifax are a very good model. We need to keep striving for improvement.”

In the last 12 seasons, Fax have finished second three times, third five times and fourth twice.

They finished sixth the other two times - with that position in 2016 causing a reduction in central funding and in turn a pay cut for the players ahead of 2017. The proviso was they would get the money back if they finished in the Super 8s Qualifiers that year. The part-timers responded by beating the odds to end third and fourth in the following two campaigns, against clubs with bigger budgets.

Former Fax, Huddersfield, London Broncos and Leigh player Richard Marshall has been coach since 2015.

Reckoned Ford: “That pay cut a year or two ago could have really thrown their season but Richard Marshall managed it all brilliantly and the players really rallied round and showed how good they are.

“They earned a spot in the play-offs against more fancied teams and that underlines the togetherness and ability at that club.”

The buoyant Knights go into tomorrow's game seeking a fifth win in their sixth outing of term, cementing their current top-three berth. Fax have the same number of points albeit having played a game more after York's match at Rochdale last week was controversially called off.

Asked if is team could continue their magical run, Ford said: “We’re aware it’s going to be a tough challenge but we’re looking forward to it.

“We’re confident in our ability and there’s lots of clarity about what we need to do. But we know we need to be at our very best to get something from the game.

“It would be very naïve to ever rule a Halifax side out or a Richard Marshall side out.

“They’ve shown consistently over a number of years that they’re a top side in the Championship."

Perhaps amazingly, the Knights have tasted defeat only once since May 2018 - with that loss coming on the opening day of this season against full-time title favourites Toronto Wolfpack.

Chances are Ford’s team will have to bounce back from a loss sooner or later. Asked if the players were prepared for such hurdles, the head coach said: “We’ve not spoken about that.

“We’re taking it one game at a time and try to be better than we were last week and better than we were yesterday. That’s a much as we have thought about it.”

* THERE will be a minute's silence ahead of all rugby league games this weekend as a mark of respect following the terrorist attack in New Zealand.