YORK City Knights' bid for promotion from LHF National League Two looked in the balance with an hour gone at Cougar Park yesterday.

With such a short league season, defeat at Keighley, following the opening day loss to Swinton, would have left them with a mountain to climb to get in the title reckoning, even after only two games.

Therefore, at 31-12 down away from home, the Knights were in bother. But Mick Cook's men lifted their heads and blitzed the Cougars with six tries in an incredible 18 minutes to win 42-31 and bring renewed optimism to the joyous travelling army.

It was a comeback Tony Christie would have been proud of.

Leading from the front in the fightback was Adam Sullivan, who, in addition to his usual hit-ups and extensive defensive toil, seemed intent to go on the rampage at every opportunity - indeed one such stampede heralded the turnabout.

Home full-back Matt Bramald, faced with the big prop bearing down on him, threw himself into a high tackle and was sent off by referee Phil Bentham. That controversial 57th-minute red card, if not a turning point, certainly brought new impetus to York hopes, and once they got a roll-on, they overwhelmed the increasingly tetchy 12-man hosts.

Scrum-half Scott Rhodes was at the hub of much of it. His pass sent the unstoppable Neil Law to the line and then, following another Sullivan charge, he put in Dan Potter, whose try brought York within nine points of the Cougars with 15 minutes left.

With eight minutes to go, that gap was reduced to three as Law sent debutant Paul Fairfield away to finish super-bly, and then, with five minutes left, the Knights amazingly went ahead for the first time as another sublime attack ended with Ian Kirke crashing over from a Rhodes pass, Jon Liddell adding his fifth goal from wide out.

The game was not yet won, though, until jet-heeled Peter Fox got in on the act. Having pulled off two tackles to maintain York's lead, the winger slipped through a gap in midfield to race 80 metres, leaving the chasers eating dust.

The game was now over but, for good measure, Fox won the race to a Rhodes grubber to touch down and complete a momentous turnaround.

It was an exceptional way to get themselves out of a jam - though it's fair to say York had helped get themselves into the mess in the first place.

At least 14 of the Cougars' 27 first-half points had been direct from York blunders, while Potter also spent ten minutes in the sin-bin, albeit harshly for apparently lying on in the tackle when Keighley were well-placed.

One error, a high tackle, gave Paul Ashton a penalty goal to go with his four conversions and a drop goal, another gaffe saw Fox and full-back Liddell crash into each other going for a bomb to hand Matti Steel an easy run-in, and another saw ex-Cougar Lee Paterson lose the ball at his own line for Bramald to pick up and cross.

Before all that, Keighley had gone ahead in the fourth minute when a Matt Firth chip was knocked back for James Rushforth to score.

That was not the best start for Fairfield, who was beaten to the ball, but he went on to have a solid debut enhanced with his late try - and all that with a broken toe. Further-more, he had come in as a late replacement for fellow trialist Lee Lingard, who had opted to play for his amateur club, Sharlston, in a National Cup tie 24 hours earlier.

Firth also scooted in for Keighley, while York - not particularly outclassed in the first half but still way behind - scored through that man Sullivan and Mark Cain, albeit a lucky one when Lee Jackson's long pass cut out half the defence via Yusuf Sozi, whom the hosts claimed touched it forward.

It was still 27-12 at half-time, a lead which quickly increased when Matt Foster benefited from an overlap.

But, after a boxing mismatch brought sin-binnings for little Jim Elston and big home prop Danny Murgatroyd, the Knights gained their match-winning momentum and the comeback kicked in.

Match facts

LHF National League Two

Sunday, April 10, 2005

at Cougar Park

Keighley: Bramald, K Smith, D Foster, M Foster, Robinson, Ashton, Firth, Stephenson, Mitchell, Murgatroyd, Parker, Rushforth, Steel. Subs (all used): Beever, Taylor, Merville, Clegg.

Tries: Rushforth 4; Steel 20; Firth 35; Bramald 37; M Foster 43. Conversions: Ashton 4, 20, 35, 37. Penalties: Ashton 18. Drop goals: Ashton 40.

Sin-binned: Murgatroyd 50.

Sent off: Bramald 57.

Knights: Liddell 7, Fairfield 7, Potter 8, Law 8, Fox 8, Paterson 7, Rhodes 9, J Smith 7, Jackson 7, Sullivan 10, Ward 7, Callaghan 8, Kirke 8. Subs (all used): Elston 8, Cain 7, Sozi 7, Buckenham 7.

Tries: Sullivan 7; Cain 30; Law 62; Potter 65; Fairfield 72; Kirke 75; Fox 78, 80. Conversions: Liddell 7, 30, 65, 72, 75. Penalties: None. Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: Potter 25; Elston 50. Sent off: None.

Man of the match: Adam Sullivan - was immense throughout in attack and defence and was at the forefront of the Knights' triumphant comeback with a host of charges upfield.

Referee: Phil Bentham (Blackpool). Rating: Made his mind up quickly.

Penalty count: 7-10

HT: 27-12

Gamebreaker: The sending-off of Keighley's Matt Bramald was crucial, but the game was only over when Knights winger Peter Fox pinned his ears back for an 80-metre scorcher to put York two scores ahead with two minutes left.

Attendance: 1,407

Weather watch: dry, bright, breezy in places.

Match rating: The opening hour had several talking points, not least the four cards, but all that was overshadowed by the Knights' extraordinary comeback in the last half-hour.

Updated: 09:38 Monday, April 11, 2005