Knights 8, Hawks 21

Indeed, with more performances like this one, Richard Agar's men, who entertained the supporters so richly in the cups, will quickly lose their National League Two favourites tag - and the Hawks could well take it on.

The Knights, who lacked something on Bank Holiday Monday despite beating Chorley, went down another notch yesterday as too many basic errors - mainly dropping too many balls, including schoolboy mistakes - contributed substantially to the defeat.

Even by Agar's own admission, they were also out-enthused, and the way the Hawks celebrated at the end was a reminder that all opponents this season will be fired up to shoot down the men in white.

Okay, Hunslet were always going to be contenders and so to lose to Roy Sampson's side is no disgrace. And we are only two games into the campaign so despondency would be daft.

But it provided further proof that any let-up by the Knights could end in a slip-up. Basically, this competition will be much harder than Arriva Trains Cup results suggested.

The first seven minutes yesterday laid the rickety platform from which the Knights fell, and, wouldn't you know it, former York favourite Leigh Deakin had a prominent part to play. Indeed, the winger clearly enjoyed himself all afternoon.

Latham Tawhai's kick on the last tackle saw Deakin win the race far too easily and he patted the ball back to Paul Seal, who scored.

Home full-back Nathan Graham, usually a model of consistency, lost out on that occasion, and minutes later fumbled an awkward bouncing kick, with Deakin taking control and Mick Coyle crossing all too easily from dummy-half. Another ex-Wasp, York-based Jonny Liddell, converted both tries and the Knights already had a mountain to climb.

Lee Jackson's brilliance got them back into it as he stepped back from dummy-half on the Hunslet line and put in a flat kick that Darren Callaghan got on the end of. But that was one of only two York tries all game and, for once, Danny Brough's boots did not get on the scoresheet, thus making it the Knights' worst attacking dividend all season.

Mark Cain was forced out just short as the Knights, aided by penalties, tried to keep the pressure on, but Deakin came to the fore again as he leapt to intercept Graham's certain scoring pass to winger Rob Kama. And that set up the attack from which the lightning fast Jamaine Wray dashed over from dummy-half.

At 16-4 down with a half-hour gone, the hosts really needed to score before half-time.

In previous games, they have found a spark to get back that intensity in times of need and give themselves - and the crowd - a lift, and there was a period towards the end of the half when a thunderous defensive set pushed Hunslet back and got the crowd going, which seemed to ignite the fire.

But it didn't last, with one of many sloppy handling errors soon killing the all-too-brief fervour.

Indeed, with the greasy conditions not favouring expansive rugby, it was simply all too subdued on and off the pitch, and workmanlike Hunslet, led by unyielding scrum-half Tawhai, made sure the hosts had no way back.

Kama did his best to give York that pick-me-up, just failing to touch down Brough's chip to the corner under pressure from that man Deakin, but the first-half fillip did not come and it got worse straight after the break.

Kama, who suffered more than most in the worsening conditions, dropped the ball on the first tackle and, from that, ex-Knight Neil Mears did well as Hunslet worked an overlap on the right and a long pass saw Deakin - who else? - score in the corner.

The Knights did get the try they had needed as the ball was worked right at enough speed to give Chris Langley the space to get over and reduce the deficit back to 12 points - two converted tries - with nearly 30 minutes left.

But, despite some pressure and a favourable penalty count, there were few more home cheers in the remaining half-hour, and it never really looked like York would do it.

Indeed, mistakes saw the game die a drab death, with Tawhai's 73rd-minute drop goal killing off what hope of a comeback was left.

All teams have their good spells and their dodgy spells in a season. This certainly isn't York's good spell, but, keeping things in perspective, only two points have been dropped, and hopefully it won't last.

Knights: Graham 5, C Smith 6, Langley 7, Cain 6, Kama 4, Rhodes 8, Brough 7, Burland 6, Jackson 8, Sozi 6, Callaghan 6, Friend 6, Ball 6. Subs (all used): Elston 7, J Smith 6, Wilson 6, Forsyth 6.

Tries: Callaghan 15; Langley 51.

Conversions: None.

Penalties: None.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

Man of the match: Scott Rhodes - made a few half-breaks and continually tried to click the Knights into a higher gear.

Hawks: Liddell, Hall, P Seal, McGibbon, Deakin, Doherty, Tawhai, Lockwood, Wray, Coyle, Freeman, Ibbetson, Bastow. Subs (all used): Pryce, Freeman, Fearon, Mears.

Tries: Seal 2; Coyle 7; Wray 29; Deakin 43.

Conversion: Liddell 2, 7.

Penalties: None.

Drop goal: Tawhai 73.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

HT: 4-16

Ref: Ben Thaler (Wakefield)

Rating: Alright, despite the lopsided penalty count (which York didn't take advantage of).

Penalty Count: 13-6

Gamebreaker: York found it impossible in unfavourable conditions to come back from Hunslet's two early tries.

Attendance: 1,262

Weather watch: awful rain made life hard.

Match rating: As miserable as the weather.

Updated: 11:25 Monday, April 19, 2004