AUSSIE ace Trevor Krause reckons York City Knights could yet head up the National League Two table and go into the play-offs as top dogs.

The Knights gleaned only one point from their opening four league games but since then have won six in seven and go into tomorrow's big match at home to Sheffield Eagles (KO 3pm) on the back of a record 66-6 hammering of London Skolars.

They remain in sixth place with seven games of the regular season to go but they are just three points off leaders Keighley and a victory tomorrow could see them jump to third.

Krause said: "We're aiming to finish top of the league as there are obviously better incentives ahead of the final series.

"It began to look a bit unrealistic after the start we had, but results have since been going our way and if we keep winning there's nothing to say we can't do that."

The 30-year-old, who heads the Evening Press/Collier Plant Hire player-of-the-year standings, admitted the Knights had blown hot and cold and that they were still not the finished article.

"We could turn up one day and beat anyone but the next day struggle a bit," he explained. "We're getting more consistent but there are always little areas where we can improve.

"We might drop away for ten minutes in a game. It was 30 or 40 minutes at the start of the season and now it's ten but if we can get rid of those patches altogether we will be right. However, we're not going to post performances just like that, we've got to be switched on."

York and Sheffield will meet tomorrow for the fourth time this season, with the Knights doing the double over Mark Aston's men in the Arriva Trains Cup before the Eagles hit back in the first league meeting.

Krause reckoned those games would have little bearing on tomorrow's encounter, saying: "We've played each other three times but there's been a bit of turnaround in both squads player-wise and we can't assume we will know their whole game."

He added: "Hope-fully it will be another big crowd. The support we've been getting has been brilliant. At London last week, for example, to go so far and have twice the number of fans that they had was great.

"To fill this place up the way they've been doing has been really good. It definitely makes a difference to us. For the first few games the crowds were a bit quiet but they're now really vocal.

"I didn't know what to expect when I came over at the start of the year but I've been very impressed with the crowds, especially for a club that is starting off again.

"You could have expected them to turn their backs after what went on before but they've warmed to it. The club are doing something right and the people have recognised that."

Krause - happy to see his countrymen hammer New Zealand 48-6 in yesterday's Test match at Australia Stadium - is unsure at this stage if he will stay at Huntington Stadium next year or return down under to his home town of Wogga Wogga, where he is a policeman.

Either way, he is enjoying life in the Minster city. "I've been loving it," he said. "The people have been great and it's been good playing here. But I'm not sure about next season yet, we'll have to see."

Updated: 10:33 Saturday, July 26, 2003