YORK City Knights boss James Ford insists Sam Scott is not a "dirty" player.

Second-row enforcer Scott was penalised a number of times by referee Jack Smith during Sunday's all-action victory away to Widnes Vikings, with a first-half tackle on Danny Craven put on report after he scragged back the Vikings playmaker.

Ford says the 28-year-old - who turns 29 next week - is "very aggressive" but not deliberately unfair or malicious, and he was hopeful the Rugby Football League's disciplinary panel would deem the offence worthy of no more censure than the free-kick awarded at the time.

"I think it was worthy of a penalty," he reasoned. "I think he copped him high, from behind, which is strange. I'll have to have a look on video.

"Look, Sam's an aggressive player - he's a very aggressive player - but he's not a dirty player.

"If he has done something that the disciplinary panel don't like, it certainly won't have been intentional."

The match was Scott's first back after recovering from a knee injury suffered in the narrow defeat in Toulouse a month ago.