Boss confident of 'tremendous response' by York City Knights

York shipped a century of points for the first time at Leigh as their depleted side fell to a new low amid a run of six defeats from their last eight matches.

A total of 17 tries were conceded at the Leigh Sports Village and head coach James labelled aspects of his side's display as an "utter disgrace" afterwards.

The Knights now have a quick turnaround as they host Sheffield Eagles on Friday night (7.30pm), seeking to build some form for the Betfred Championship play-offs with three regular season matches left.

The first task though is to issue a reaction to the dismal showing at Leigh and restore some pride.

“Part of me wanted to go through every negative I could find in the game and put people on show," Ford said of Tuesday night's training session. "But I didn’t think that was going to help.

“We’re all embarrassed and hurting from it and we're in a tough situation.

“But what’s key is the response. We spoke about some of the stuff where we fell down massively and spoke about things in and around training and what’s going on away from the club.

“We’ve agreed to draw a line where we’re either in or we’re out.

“For the blokes who are in, it’s about a response, pulling together and finding some big improvements and finding them now.

“A response isn’t just about having a good Tuesday night training session or saying the right things in a team meeting.

“The response manifests itself against Sheffield and for the rest of the season – the last three league games and the play-off games.

“We have to pull together and fight together and show a tremendous response on Friday. And I’m really confident that we will.”

As he attempts to salvage York's flagging season, Ford revealed that he has spoken to a handful of his players on the standards required throughout training and matchdays at the club.

"It’s easy to try hard on a Sunday but you need to make sure that you’re giving your best all week to make sure that you’re in the right condition to give your best on a Sunday," said the Knights boss.

“There’s one or two, maybe more, that have fallen away from that. We’ve had a good discussion and given them a reminder about our standards.

“I’m expecting a really positive response from them all.”

While providing no excuse for the performance, York were missing 10 players for the Leigh trip, including a number of leaders within the group.

"In the meeting we had (on Tuesday) and in individual chats, I’ve been pretty honest and up front," Ford added on the discussions he has had with his players.

“I think at times this side has been carried by certain individuals, your Jordan Thompson’s and Pauli Pauli’s (both missed the Leigh match).

“There was an opportunity for some other players to demonstrate they’re as good as them. On the back of Sunday’s performance, I don’t think they showed that they were.

“Walking around with our violins out isn’t going to help us and neither is falling out with one another.

“They’re going to get another opportunity to grit their teeth, pull together and demonstrate that response."