THE Evening Press has teamed up with York City Knights to launch a special new Player of the Month competition - giving fans the chance to win VIP match tickets and meet their favourite players.

And what better time to launch it than now, as the Knights gear up for arguably their biggest game yet, the Challenge Cup quarter-final at Huddersfield.

The new competition involves supporters voting via the Evening Press for their man of the match in each game, with the player who receives the most votes over the course of a month being awarded the Player of the Month accolade.

And as an incentive, readers sending in a vote for the eventual winner have the chance of scooping a free pair of VIP tickets - and getting to present the victorious player with his award on the pitch before a home match.

The new competition follows on from the changes to the Evening Press/Collier Plant Hire Player of the Year format we launched at the start of this season, with the two working hand in hand.

As reported, fans now have the chance to affect the Player of the Year standings by voting for their man of the match in each game. Whichever player gets the most votes receives an additional Player of the Year point.

And now those fans' votes will also exclusively decide who gets the Player of the Month award. Basically, whoever gets the most Man of the Match votes throughout the month will be awarded the Player of the Month accolade.

Knights chief executive Steve Ferres said: "It's a great idea to get fans involved and to interact with both ourselves and the Evening Press coverage."

Evening Press Sports Editor Martin Jarred said: "One of our aims is to have Knights supporters involved with the Evening Press coverage and this is a way to let fans have an exclusive say in deciding their Player of the Month and getting the chance to themselves present the player with the award."

Fans can cast their votes by email to peter.martini@ ycp.co.uk or by postcard to Peter Martini, c/o Sportsdesk, Evening Press, Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN. Weekly votes must be received by midnight on Thursdays. Please enclose your name, address and a daytime telephone number.

The first Player of the Month will be for March. The Gateshead game on Wednes-day, March 31, will be included. Deadline for those votes is noon on Friday, April 2.

THE Supporters' Club plan to run four buses to tomorrow's big game.

Full details and all bookings via 01904 750500, leaving name and contact number. No bookings can be taken after 8pm today.

Prices, depending on numbers, will be £7 adults, £5 12-to-16-year-olds, £1 under-12s.

One bus will leave Hunting-ton Stadium at 11am for the 'Dinner at The George' offer.

Other times and pick-up points are: Haxby (Holly Tree Lane) 11.45am; Stadium (rear car park) noon; New Lane (opposite Anthea Drive) 12.05pm; Haxby Rd (outside JR Theatre) 12.10; Clarence St (opposite vets) 12.15; Exhibition Sq (outside Theatre) 12.20; Blossom St (opposite Odeon) 12.25; Tadcaster Rd (Marriott Hotel) 12.30pm.

TWO lucky Evening Press readers won a pair of tickets each for Sunday's big match at Huddersfield after winning our competition run in conjunction with Challenge Cup sponsors Powergen.

We asked you where the 2005 Challenge Cup final would be held, and the answer was the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

Loads of people entered the competition, and the winners were Mr M Dickinson, of Woodthorpe, and Karen Pearson, of Huntington.

AS for the mascot competition run by the Press in conjunction with the Knights (see Back Page), it was fair to say lots of youngsters entered this too, and a special mention must go to one of the entrants, nine-year-old Liam Coughlin, from Stockton on the Forest.

Not only did he get the answer right - like everyone else - but he also described the try and, if that wasn't enough, added a little ditty.

He wrote: "The answer is Alex Godfrey, from Cainy's pass on the blind side, left-hand corner at the houses end, down the hill - right in front of us! Hooray!!"

And his jingle...

"York Knights are the best.

They dummy, pass and kick.

Where are they now? Top of the league.

You know what you're made of so go, go, go, go Knights."

He added: "This is a song I made up for the players because they are the best and I love them. Me and my dad and sister patted them on the back once when they were going in from a home match and it was awesome.

"I think York Knights rock. I go every Sunday to see them. Alex especially rocks."

(You can pay him that fiver now, Alex.)

Updated: 11:40 Saturday, March 27, 2004