TODAY is the third birthday of York City Knights and it is pretty impressive to see how far the club has come in those three years.

The new club apparently reached their cash deadline to be admitted to the Rugby Football League on this day in 2002 and, if you said then that York as a new team would be promoted within three years, some people might have laughed at you.

It is a marker, therefore, of how well the club has done. What is going on off the field as well as on the field is all linked together and is helping the club to move forward.

The Knights are very forward-thinking and the directors have got things in place behind the scenes that stand the club in good stead.

The playing team reached the play-offs in the first year, got to the play-off final last year and this season have won the National League Two competition outright, while attendances have also gone up each year and, if you look at those two markers, you can see how well the club is going forward.

One of the Knights' old boys, Danny Brough, will also have been celebrating this week after his performance in the Challenge Cup final.

His efforts this season prove there is a pathway to Super League from the National Leagues if you are dedicated enough and of the right quality.

It can be difficult because a lot of players in the top tier are bought in or come through the youth systems at Super League clubs.

Youth development does work, as has been proved at places like Leeds and Wigan. It's cheaper to bring players through than go and spend £50,000 on someone, while you also get to know the players as individuals and they get to know the club from a young age.

Some players might develop late, though, and a few are always going to slip through the net, so some will go somewhere else, perhaps to a National League club, and might come on in leaps and bounds.

As long as you are in good shape and playing at a reasonable standard, there is always the possibility that you can push through.

Danny has had his opportunity to step up and has taken it well. He's become a regular for Hull, playing 20-odd games, and had a real impact on the final.

He kept a really cool head for those conversions, with a couple from either touchline and, of course, the one at the end to win the Cup for his team, while he also got the drop goal that ultimately proved the difference.

He showed a lot of composure for a young bloke and he was rightly a contender for man of the match, although I agree Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield deserved his Lance Todd Trophy after working his socks off.

Hull probably deserved to win the final, though. Their kicking game and chase game were outstanding and they didn't let Leeds breathe. They stuck to their game-plan, took on Leeds down the middle and didn't give them an easy ride anywhere.

Picking Keith Senior might not have been the right thing to do for Leeds as he didn't seem to be his real self following his ankle injury and was withdrawn at half-time, which, with Chris McKenna picking up an injury, meant Leeds could not use their replacements as they might have liked.

But it's not my call and it's obviously easier with hindsight. Leeds obviously felt he was okay to play but it probably went against them this time.

Leeds still had enough opportunity to win the game, though. They did try to saw their own legs off at times with unforced errors counting against them, but it just wasn't their day - although they did contribute to a fine advert for rugby league.

Updated: 11:10 Wednesday, August 31, 2005