“IT was a great Challenge Cup tie to be a part of!”

That’s the verdict of York Knights boss Andrew Henderson following their thrilling 22-18 triumph over fellow Betfred Championship outfit Newcastle Thunder at the LNER Community Stadium last night.

The result leaves York just 80 minutes away from the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup final at Wembley, with quick-fire tries from winger AJ Towse and full-back Matty Marsh seeing them overturn an eight-point deficit, before returning half-back Liam Harris ghosted over the line for the match-winning score with just over a quarter of an hour left to play.

With a brilliant kicking game from Newcastle’s Nikau Williams and Jack Miller dominating the opening half, Henderson’s half-time team talk proved to be inspired, with the Knights clinching victory after a much-improved performance after the interval.

Despite being delighted with the manner in which his side completed the turnaround, Henderson was impressed with the Thunder, whom he believed came into the tie with nothing to lose following a disappointing start that sees them sit at the foot of the Championship table with just one league win to their name this season.

“I’m very pleased that we found a way to overcome a very dogged and determined Newcastle side,” Henderson reflected.

“I know we certainly weren’t at our best, but that’s probably due to the fact that Newcastle were very, very good.

“I thought they came here, they had nothing to lose and were under no pressure. I don’t think that anybody had any expectation on them with where their current form is in the Championship, it hasn’t been great.

“As I’ve said to the players coming into the game, form goes out of the window. It’s a Cup game, you’ve only got one chance, and they’re pretty desperate.

“I thought that we saw that from Newcastle. They came out here with a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm, but I thought that they played smart.”

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Persistent rain made conditions less than ideal for Henderson’s favoured style of expansive rugby league, and he conceded that Newcastle had the edge due to their superior kicking game and tackle completion during the first half.

“I thought that they played the conditions a lot better than us,” he admitted.

“They really got off the back of a really strong kicking game that first half, and I thought that Nikau Williams and Jack Miller really controlled proceedings.

“They just kept putting the ball into the right areas of the field and kept finding space and keeping us in the corners.

“It’s tough conditions when it’s like this; you really have to get in off the back of a good kicking game and complete high. You’re not going to be able to play expansive too often because the conditions won’t allow that.

“The passing’s a bit slower, the grip of the ball, so you have to play a little bit more of a direct approach and it’s almost complete high, a good kicking game, and turning the screw defensively.

“I thought that Newcastle, in that first half, did that a lot better than us, and we were second-best in the first half, there’s no doubt about it.”

The Knights turned the game on its head after the break, upping their energy and tempo to twice nudge themselves in front before tightening up their defence to hold on during the game’s breathless conclusion.

York Press: Former Keighley Cougars captain Jack Miller was a standout for the visitors at half-back.Former Keighley Cougars captain Jack Miller was a standout for the visitors at half-back.

“We addressed those issues quite frankly at half time and that had to be addressed,” Henderson continued. “Thankfully, I felt that the team responded in the right way.

“We came out in the second half and I just felt that we had a lot more energy defensively. That was the area that I felt that we’d been letting ourselves down.

“We were, for me, a little bit too passive defensively. We weren’t really going after them, I thought that we were just standing off and allowing them to dictate the terms.

“We were allowing their kickers to kick where they wanted, and on their terms.

“We just weren’t putting them under enough pressure and I thought in the second half, we did a lot better job at that.

“I thought that we disrupted their kicking game in the second half, and off the back of that, we started to get a bit better field position, and then we were able to be clinical and capitalise on that field position to take the points-scoring opportunities when they were on offer.

“It’s a real credit to the guys in the way that they responded in the second half, but it was a great game. I thought that Newcastle played extremely well, and I know from speaking to their coach, they can take a lot of positives from that performance moving forward for them.

“I suppose that it was great for the fans in terms of the neutral, because it was really on the edge of your seat stuff.

“The game wasn’t in the bag until the final minute of the game, so it was a great Challenge Cup tie to be a part of, and I’m just thankful that we managed to find a way to get across the line and into the next round.”