MARK Applegarth lauded York Knights’ desire and togetherness in what was a “great advert for Championship rugby” at fellow play-off contenders Widnes Vikings.

A hard-fought 12-6 victory propelled the Knights into the top six, despite seeing out the match with 12 men after Leigh Leopards loanee Jacob Gannon had been sent off for a high tackle on Mike Butt and his part in the resultant melee.

It was an attritional affair at a rain-soaked DCBL Stadium, with defences on top and the sides evenly matched. But the Knights were crucially able to play the conditions better than their opponents, thrice opting for the two points on offer from the tee to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

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“I’m really proud of our guys,” Applegarth enthused. “Especially when we went down to 12.

“I think Widnes threw everything and the kitchen sink at us, and you can’t really coach that sort of desire and connection between the guys in that last 10 or 15-minute period.

“But I thought that it was a great advert for Championship rugby.

“Obviously it’s not ideal conditions for both teams, but there were two evenly matched teams going after each other and fortunately for us today, we’ve come out on the right side of that result.”

York again took an early lead, with Nikau Williams wasting no time in calling for the tee after a tackle on Connor Bailey inside the opening 10 minutes.

Their only try came perhaps fortuitously on the quarter-hour after Ata Hingano’s attempted 40/20 instead bounced favourably for Brad Ward on the left wing, who sent the supporting Joe Law across for his fifth try in Knights colours.

A second penalty soon followed for the visitors after Matty Fozard had jumped prematurely out of the line, handing them a 10-0 lead at the interval, but that was by no means comfortable.

Widnes hit back on 53 minutes, with Butt winning the race to ground Jack Owens’ grubber into the right corner, but though that brought with it a seismic shift in the atmosphere, York crucially hit back from a third penalty to halt their hosts’ momentum.

Gannon’s dismissal with 15 minutes left to play threatened to see the scoreline tip in the Vikings’ favour, but their only other points came from the tee as the Knights kept a barrage of home attacks at bay.

It was a hard-fought affair, with Widnes throwing the kitchen sink at the Knights late on.It was a hard-fought affair, with Widnes throwing the kitchen sink at the Knights late on. (Image: Craig Hawkhead Photography)

“Obviously we were aware of [the threat Gilmore and Owens posed] and what we needed to do there,” Applegarth continued.

“They’ve got a forward pack that’s pretty handy as well led by the returning Shane Grady.

“I don’t think that we started the game the best, Widnes probably beat us to the punch in that first 10 minutes, but we hung in there.

“Young AJ intercepting was a good read and it kind of changed the momentum of the game in our favour. I think we camped down in Widnes’ 20 for about 10 minutes.

“I think how we went about our business is probably what got us over the line in the long run, so I’m really happy about that. We weren’t at our best but we found a way to be gritty and stay in there.

“What can I say about that last 15 after the red card! How aggressive our line speed was and some of those contacts, especially that far into the game, was outstanding.”