Hunslet 19, Knights 8

York City Knights may be National League Two favourites but they were never going to run away with it and yesterday's 19-8 reverse at Hunslet was further proof in the pudding that this is a difficult division.

On the minus side, they have found themselves in a mini-rut which needs to end quickly if the dream of promotion is to be achieved.

It was the Knights' third defeat in a row, and second in the league, and leaves them four points off top spot with games against fellow contenders Sheffield and leaders Barrow to follow.

The run-in should therefore bring exciting times - unless, of course, it's anything like that served up at South Leeds Stadium yesterday.

The defeat aside, the game saw little free-flowing action and few chances, with the hosts' renowned defence stifling the life out of a Knights side which again lacked ingenuity in attack, again made too many errors and again came a cropper to disciplinary demons.

Fair dues to Hunslet, they played to their strengths and never allowed York to build any momentum. Granted, much of that was down to the way they played the officials, slowing down the game at every opportunity and breaking any tempo. But if you can get away with it, why stop?

Referee Gareth Hewer appeared oblivious to it, as summed up towards the end when agitated Knights skipper Lee Jackson - who had started the game on the bench after hurting his shoulder in the warm-up - pointed out the time-wasting. Hewer responded by lecturing Jackson for an age and running the clock down even more.

For coach Richard Agar, however, the performance of his team is far more important than that of the referee, and, seemingly from nowhere, there are now a few wrongs that need putting right.

The disciplinary issue is one. Okay, even Job would have had his patience tested yesterday with a plethora of crazy decisions, but penalties again hindered the cause, helping Hunslet into an 10-0 lead and keeping them on the front foot.

Six of those points came from Chris Ross' boot, two penalties due to high tackles and the other to dissent, and these sandwiched a try by Leigh Deakin, which came from a penalty to touch.

The York-based winger had been a thorn in his former team's side when Hunslet won at Huntington in April, and he was on the scoresheet again as Hunslet worked an overlap down the right.

Full-back Nathan Graham had to pull off a fine tackle to prevent another home try before York finally got on the scoreboard, ironically from a penalty.

Hunslet might as well have taken their pillows out with them such was their propensity for lying on, and when Hewer finally did something about it, sin-binning Steve Pryce, Brough booted the two-pointer.

York, however, made little use of the extra man as Hunslet had the ball for most of the ensuing ten minutes.

Simon Friend pulled off a try-saving tackle to deny Deakin a second, but there was no let-off as great hands by Chris Hall from a high cross-field kick put Jonlee Lockwood in, Ross converting.

It could have been worse, too, as Hewer twice gave Hunslet the chance to up their lead further, although justice prevailed as Ross missed both penalties.

York nevertheless had to improve greatly to overturn the 16-2 half-time deficit. They didn't.

Half-backs Scott Rhodes and, particularly, Brough were largely anonymous, while the kicking game was terrible, the handling in albeit greasy conditions continued to let them down, the running off the ball was not too enthusiastic and several tackles were missed.

Referee Hewer also struck again, sin-binning Yusuf Sozi for supposed holding down when it didn't even look like a penalty and also denying Rhodes a run to the line after a dubious knock-on by Darren Callaghan.

Ironically, when Hewer didn't penalise York, his touch judges did.

Firstly, the man in the middle somehow failed to see an off-the-ball body-check by Graham bang in front of him, but the linesman gave the penalty and Ross made it 18-2.

Then a set-to involving Craig Forsyth and a gang of Hunslet players ended with both Forsyth and home prop Mick Coyle in the bin, with the other linesman giving Hunslet the penalty.

The Knights' hopes were raised after the hour with a try created by Mark Cain. The substitute kicked to the corner early in the tackle count and it proved a winning gamble as speedy winger Scott Walker won the race to touch down, Brough goaling expertly.

Other than that, York had little joy out wide, where injured flier Austin Buchanan was missed. Chris Langley switched from centre but there was little threat from his three-quarter partnership with Dale Cardoza, who did not get in the game enough.

There were still 16 minutes left but, despite rare breaks by Rhodes and Callaghan, the attacks were halted by desperate defence - Chris Hall's cover tackle on Brough being particularly crucial - and thereafter petered out.

The comeback was thus killed, and after Ross hit the post with another dodgy penalty, Craig Booth dropped a goal to complete the Hawks' double over Agar's men.

Hunslet: Raynor, Hall, Murrell, Ross, Deakin, Bastow, Tawhai, Booth, Wray, Coyle, Ibbetson, Seal, Liddell.

Subs (all used): Pryce, Mears, Lockwood, Fearon.

Tries: Deakin 7; Lockwood 37

Conversion: Ross 37

Penalties: Ross 2, 15, 21, 58.

Drop goal: Booth 77.

Sin-binned: Pryce 30; Coyle 61.

Sent off: None.

Knights: Graham 6, Langley 6, Car-doza 6, Wood 5, Walker 6, Rhodes 6, Brough 5, Wil-son 7, Jackson 7, Forsyth 6, Callag-han 6, Friend 6, Ball 6. Subs (all used): Wainhouse 6, Cain 7, Sozi 8, Stannard 6.

Try: Walker 64.

Conversion: Brough 64.

Penalty: Brough 30.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: Sozi 48; Forsyth 61.

Sent off: None.

Man of the match:

Yusuf Sozi - the prop's big hits and go-forward in centre-field was not enough.

HT: 16-2

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven)

Rating: Oblivious to home tactics to stifle the game, with questionable decisions frustrating everyone.

Penalty count: 15-10

Gamebreaker: Chris Hall's try-saving tackle on Danny Brough kept Hunset two scores ahead with ten minutes left, and time-wasting helped to kill the game.

Attendance: 770

Weather watch: cloudy, light showers

Match rating: Not really much good, to be frank.

Updated: 10:44 Monday, July 12, 2004