Returning three-quarter Chris Ross is eager to keep his place in the York City Knights team after spending weeks waiting for his chance.

The versatile back, who has played at centre and wing this season, found himself sidelined by form for weeks following a hamstring problem.

But he reclaimed his place with a try against Keighley and followed that up with another score in Sunday's defeat of Swinton taking his season total from nought to two in as many matches.

He said: "I've had a bit of a drought in the try-scoring department this season but I've got two in the last two games. I normally average between ten or 20 a year but things are picking up a bit now.

"I'm not bothered about getting a certain number of tries if we get the rest of the team scoring them instead.

"At the moment, I'm most concerned with keeping my place. Austin Buchanan is due back soon and I'm in his position but I'm one of those players that can play in various positions.

"The key thing is that I've got a shirt right now and it's up to everyone else to get it off me."

The mission now is to keep his place in the winning side, which will be harder than ever as the team enters a period of a zero margin of error in the championship run-in. And the 26-year-old, who has had to relinquish kicking duties to Paul Thorman since his injury, having goaled 21 times previously, acknowledges the challenge ahead.

He said: "I played at the beginning of the year but then I tore my hamstring again. It was an injury I did last year but it came back.

"It's taken a long time to get back in with the team playing as well as they were.

"The Swinton game was a tough one - one of those games that we knew we needed to win no matter what. The second half seemed a bit easier than the first which might have had something to do with the fact it was downhill second half.

"When they were sending the kicks down in the first half it was hard to get out of it but it was a lot easier on the ball second half and they didn't get the opportunity to kick at us."

The task now for the Knights is to kick on against the in-form Gateshead on July 24 and build on their table-topping momentum.

Updated: 09:59 Wednesday, July 13, 2005