Homegrown winger Chris Hopcutt experienced a "best ever" buzz in the wake of York Rugby League Club's against-all-odds triumph over Bramley.

Chris Hopcutt, centre, and his Wasps team-mates go over to celebrate with their travelling army of fans after their against-the-odds victory at Bramley. Hopcutt, a try scorer in the 21-20 Headingley win, claimed the amazing events of the last seven days had cemented an unbreakable team spirit within the Wasps camp.

The players were credited with saving the Second Division club from extinction on Thursday when they voted to play the remaining seven games without pay.

And yesterday they fought and scrapped to keep the club's promotion hopes alive with the narrowest of victory margins over rivals Bramley.

The Wasps' ninth success of the season moved them into third place, on the same points and points difference as second placed Bramley, just two points adrift of leaders Lancashire Lynx.

Hopcutt, who has played more than 130 games in his nine seasons with the club, declared: "That was the best feeling I have had winning a game for York, after everything that has gone on.

"It was excellent. The spirit was superb, absolutely mint. I just hope we get promotion and do it for the lads and for Trevor Cox. Trevor has always had the club at heart and it is a pity there are not more like him."

The winger's sentiments were echoed by prop forward Craig Booth, who declared that the squad had "pulled together" over the last week.

"We all got together regarding the strike and were all 100 per cent behind that, and pulled together when we accepted this new deal," he said.

"It was all team spirit, lads fighting for each other."

Booth added that the players had been affected by cash problems in previous games but were now looking forward to being paid at the end of September.

"We know we can do it, it is little things that get to us. We have lost a couple of games this season through a lack of communication from the board with a couple of payments.

"It doesn't help when you are getting all this jargon from the board about why there are delays in payments. We have got to keep playing and winning and get a nice big cheque at the of the season. We are amateurs at the moment, playing for nought."

Coach Dean Robinson, meanwhile, sprung a surprise selection after settling his differences with forward Matt Lambert.

Lambert, who was sacked along with half-back Lee Hanlan last month, was named as a substitute for his first Wasps outing since the beginning of June.

Hard-hitting prop Lea Tichener also made an appearance from the substitute's bench, ending a lengthy exile through suspension after talks with the coach.

Both have now been restored to the squad and are expected to play a major part in York's vital six game promotion run-in, which starts with the visit of Batley Bulldogs to Huntington Stadium next Sunday.

see MATCH REPORT 'Back from the brink to verge of glory'

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