YORK City Knights added another string to their bow at Derwent Park yesterday when they proved they can battle and scrap for victories.

In their previous three triumphs, the Knights have laid solid foundations then torn teams apart with sharp, entertaining rugby.

Yesterday they made it four wins on the bounce with a 33-14 success at Workington Town, but this time the victory had more to do with bottle and a willingness to get in where it hurts, while a cutting ability to take their chances also came in handy.

Some contentious refereeing from Wigan whistle-blower Mike Dawber saw the game turn a bit niggly and, with Workington trying to buy penalties and York - notably Graeme Hallas and Mark Cain - trying to wind the opposition up, the game at times threatened to boil over.

The scoreline may suggest York had it quite easy but it was not so, as it was only the Knights' two tries in the last six minutes - both brilliantly converted from the touchline against the wind by Danny Brough - that finally killed off the hosts.

It was a victory for professionalism and hard work, but that is not to say there was no skill involved.

The Knights won the battle in midfield but, crucially, they were able to utilise that via the guile and craft of half-backs Scott Rhodes and Brough, who together played a telling role in York's first three tries.

Following their three recent impressive wins, York began as clear-cut favourites - a burden they hadn't carried to this extent for some time. But Workington, trying to overcome early-season strife and with only one win to their name in the league, certainly didn't start like a team with problems.

Craig Fisher booted a penalty for holding down by Lee Jackson on two minutes and did likewise four minutes later when Jackson was blatantly offside - escaping a sin-binning as a try looked on - after the hosts had gathered a grubber to break from one end to the other. York also needed Trevor Krause, covering for out-of-position full-back Chris Smith, to deny William Blackburn.

The game thereafter ebbed and flowed with York coming out on top by half-time thanks mainly to the work of the half-backs.

Firstly, stand-off Rhodes put in Chris Smith on a fine diagonal run to the left corner. Scrum-half Brough then kicked a 25-yard penalty for holding down on Trevor Krause.

Town hit back though, as a four-man tackle on Cain saw the ball come loose inside York's 20 and, with Dawber ruling no foul play, the hosts capitalised as Brett McDermott scythed in down the left.

It looked like York were to retake the lead when Rhodes put Neil Law away but the officials harshly ruled a forward pass.

Nevertheless, York were not to miss out, thanks again to numbers six and seven. Brough twice feigned a kick, split the defence and gave a fine pass to the supporting Rhodes, who flew over.

Brough converted and booted penalties awarded either side of half-time as the hosts tried to land a punch in the tackle on Krause and then needlessly held down Smith.

Krause was to feel the wrath of the referee soon after when he was sin-binned for holding down, Dawber having minutes earlier warned the Knights for slowing the game down too much.

But the visitors played out those ten minutes superbly, not only keeping hold of the ball for most of that time but also scoring a try by Hallas from another good Rhodes pass.

Workington needed to score next to have any chance and did so to make it 20-14 when Anthony Murray spun over from dummy-half on the hour-mark, Fisher converting.

York wisely put themselves two scores up when Brough ended a good forward drive with a drop goal, but there could well have been a grandstand finish as Town came close to crossing again on 71 minutes when debutant stand-off Sean Boylan's great run ended with the attempted scoring pass going to ground.

Three minutes later it was game over as centre Law was unstoppable at the other end from Paul Broadbent's wonderful pass and, as if to make sure of the victory, another break down the left saw Law feed Alex Godfrey on the inside, with the winger using pace then strength to crash over from 20 metres.

The last time York played at Workington, a heavy defeat was followed 48 hours by the announcement that the club - then, of course, the Wasps - was to fold.

There will be no such bombshell this time, as the Knights - with yet more wonderful backing to boast from an ever-increasing band of followers - continue to prove they are upwardly mobile.

Match facts:

Workington: Sharp, Johnson, McDermott, Beaumont, Lewthwaite, Boylan, Fisher, Tunstall, Murray, Dean, Robinson, Blackburn, Charlton. Subs (all used): King, Stoddart, Pettitt, Dutton.

Tries: McDermott 24, Murray 59.

Cons: Fisher 59

Pens: Fisher 2, 6

Knights: Smith 8, Godfrey 7, Hallas 7, Law 7, Deakin 7, Rhodes, 9, Brough 8, Hayes 8, Jackson 8, Forsyth 7, Ramsden 8, Cain 8, Krause 7. Subs (all used): Molloy 6 ,Callaghan 8, Burland 7, Broadbent 7.

Tries: Smith 11, Rhodes 33, Hallas 51, Law 74, Godfrey 78.

Cons: Brough 33,74, 78 51, 56.

Pen: Brough 22, 40, 42 DG: Brough 66

Sin-bin: Krause 46

Man of the match

Scott Rhodes - it was scrum-half Danny Brough last week and stand-off Scott Rhodes this week. Is this the best half-back pairing in the division?

Referee: Mike Dawber (Wigan)

Penalty count: 10-6

HT: 8-14

Attendance: 539

Updated: 11:02 Monday, June 23, 2003