YORK City Knights secured their first ever Betfred Championship play-off victory as they beat Halifax Panthers 26-24 in a thrilling quarter-final.

Here are five things we learnt at The Shay.

1. York peak at the perfect moment

Of all the sides entering the play-offs, York appeared the most out of nick.

Just five wins were managed from their final 11 regular season matches, three of those coming to bottom-three clubs by points margins of 12 points or fewer.

Facing a Halifax team with 19 wins from their last 22 matches, nobody could have seen the upset that would play out.

York twice rallied back early 10-point deficits, first when losing Danny Kirmond to the sin-bin and second just before half time.

To keep Halifax try-less in the second half and keep their calm amid the pressure-cooker situation showed that the Knights were indeed capable of delivering on head coach James Ford's long-held ambition, to peak at the right stage of the season.

2. Ford's game-plan pays off

Speaking of the York boss, his pre-match message that his side would "go out and attack" certainly bore true.

Aggressive in both attack and defence, the high-risk strategy seemed set to back fire in the first 40 minutes.

Lachlan Walmsley had the run of York's right edge in a first-half hat-trick, with Premier Sports pundit Kevin Brown lamenting the "crazy defence" of the visitors.

It tightened up and paid off in the second half defensively while in an attacking sense, the renewed freedom, in a clear shift away from Ford's usual style, allowed Liam Harris to deliver a kicking masterclass from which York thrived in good ball.

3. York battle through lengthy injury list

It is easy to forget amid all the drama late on that York lost half-back Jamie Ellis after 30 minutes to a bicep injury.

However much of a struggle Ellis has had this season form-wise, it was certainly far from ideal to be down to just one recognised half-back for 50 minutes against the division's third-best side.

Fortunately, Chris Clarkson starred in a proper captain's performance, taking on the half mantel and delivering try-assists for Harris and Levi Edwards out of position.

The loss of Ellis contributed to York's eight-strong injury which included regular starters Will Oakes, Brendan O'Hagan Masi Matongo, Pauli Pauli, Ronan Dixon and Ata Hingano.

To win without those and down to just 16 fit players was a further sign of the scale of this performance.

4. Liam Harris delivers masterclass

By far the stand-out player for York, even in a stunning complete team performance, was Harris.

Playing against his former club, the ex-Fax man had the ball on a string and kicked superbly from start to finish, consistently finding open space and regularly turning the Panthers backline.

Like the team, after a difficult few weeks, he delivered at the perfect moment.

Couple his kicking with a second-half try, again highlighting the threat of his running game, and he can have had few better performances in a York shirt.

5. Halifax triumph ranks among all-time York wins

After such a high, resorting to hyperbole can be a simple trap to fall into.

Yet putting this feat among those of the club's 20-year history as the Knights and this is right up there.

A first-ever play-off win in the Championship may not have jubilation of a promotion through League One, but in terms of a standalone achievement, this is arguably the greatest since the club's reformation.