WHAT a convincing way to bounce back to form. York City Knights had let themselves down last week in a home defeat to promotion rivals Sheffield but yesterday they got their armour back on, loaded up the catapults and let fire to get their bandwagon back on the promotion track.

Their previous defeat, at Chorley, was followed by a wonderful hammering of high-flying Keighley; this time it was Gateshead who suffered from the fall-out as York rattled up a 64-8 slaughter.

It did not quite match the record 66-6 hammering of London Skolars two weeks ago but it equalled that club record of 11 tries in a match and this win was probably better as Gateshead are a notch above the Londoners but were made to look just as ordinary.

Thunder coach Paul Fletcher was livid after the game, and rightly so, as his players lacked structure and passion and at times waved the Knights through. But don't take too much away from Paul Broadbent's men, who did as good a job as he could have wished for, despite the pressure of a hotting-up play-off race.

With the business end of the season getting nearer, the Knights couldn't afford to drop more points to the Thunder. But not only did they secure the victory, they also boosted their points difference, which could come in handy in the increasingly tight National League Two table.

It was another sweet revenge, too, following that at Skolars. Gateshead had beaten York on the opening day of the league season in a Huntington Stadium shocker, but this win went some way to putting that right.

Interestingly, with the play-offs closing in, yesterday's win also means Chorley are now the only Division Two team the Knights have not beaten.

The first five minutes at the Thunderdome were played in York's half but with the Knights' first forage into opposition territory Mark Cain dummied and strolled through.

Cain, playing back at stand-off following last week's injury to regular number six Scott Rhodes, was to have an impressive game.

But as the game wore on, it was half-back ally Danny Brough who came to the fore, orchestrating play and kicking down the home defence. Centre-stage later went to full-back Jonny Woodcock, who completed his first-ever hat-trick.

Such a walkover had not looked on the cards in the first 20 minutes as Gateshead, looking to control the game, saw full-back Kevin Neighbour, denied minutes earlier by Trevor Krause, hold off Alex Godfrey to reach Neil Thorman's grubber.

It appeared to be game on, but for Thunder it was merely a storm in a teacup as thereafter York gleaned total control.

Eager defence meant Gateshead rarely threatened, while at the other end, although York did make the odd mistake with the ball, they generally played out their sixes well and had more than enough sparkle to get through the increasingly shabby home defence, especially so after the break.

Cain, the major influence in the first half, did the damage again as he sent full-back Jonny Woodcock in to restore York's advantage on 23 minutes, and then Brough sent a great pass out to Neil Law on the gallop, whose scoring pass inside was superbly taken by substitute Gavin Molloy.

As half-time neared, a set move from a scrum on half-way saw that man Cain boot the ball into the gap vacated by the home full-back. Godfrey won the foot race to hack into the goal area where the similarly pacy Woodcock touched down.

Cain was the provider again soon after the break as he drew the cover to send Darren Callaghan racing home from 40 yards.

His celebration routine, joyous though it was, did not come close to Brough's acrobatic somersault which followed the speedy scrum-half's 80-yard interception try five minutes later. Three minutes later, winger Godfrey mocked that jump for joy with a not-so-acrobatic celebration after he too crossed the whitewash, cutting inside the full-back after Krause had intercepted to send him away.

Gateshead briefly got back into it after Cain was sin-binned for throwing a couple of provoked punches.

Godfrey twice denied Richie Barnett in quick succession, firstly with an ankle tap after the Thunder flyer had seemingly got away and then by tackling him into touch close to the line, but then Adam Thornton did get over, albeit with what seemed a double movement after Callaghan had hauled him down.

Normal order was resumed as soon as Cain returned, with Brough sending in Callaghan for his second and substitute Carl Hughes then getting a debut try, stepping through the wobbly defence. Prop Craig Forsyth off-loaded on the line for Krause to get over, and in the dying embers Hughes sent a jinking Woodcock in for his hat-trick.

Brough added his tenth conversion to round off an impressive day's scoring.

Match facts:

Thunder: Neigh-bour, Morton, Reid, Thornton, Barnett, P Thorman, N Thorman, Sozi, Billings, Bradley, Brown, Jessey, Walker.

Subs (all used): Bates, Houston, Harrison, Fletcher.

Tries: Neighbour 18; Thornton 62.

Conversions: None.

Penalties: None.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

Knights: Wood-cock 9, Godfrey 8, Callaghan 8, Law 8, Kama 7, Cain 9, Brough 9, Hayes 8, Jackson 8, Helme 7, Ramsden 8, Smith 7, Krause 8. Subs (all used): Hughes 8, Molloy 7, Spink 6, Forsyth 8.

Tries: Cain 5min, Woodcock 23, 38, 78; Molloy 26; Callaghan 45, 66; Brough 50; Godfrey 53; Hughes 70; Krause 74.

Cons: Brough 5, 26, 38, 45, 50, 53, 66, 70, 74, 78.

Pens: None.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: Cain 55.

Sent off: None.

Man of the match: Danny Brough - another 24-point haul for the scrum-half who got better as the game wore on. Just pipped Mark Cain and Jonny Woodcock.

Referee: Paul Carr (Castleford)

Penalty count: 11-8

HT: 4-22

Attendance: 413

Updated: 11:19 Monday, August 04, 2003