JESSE Dee hopes York Knights will “ride the confidence” of their scintillating form into Saturday’s Play-off Eliminator against Widnes Vikings (3pm).

York head into the knockout encounter having lost just twice in their last 10 matches, with head coach Mark Applegarth having overseen a remarkable turnaround that has taken the club from the fringes of the relegation zone to one of the most fancied teams in the Betfred Championship’s end-of-season series.

A fourth-placed finish is their highest since 2019, despite a tricky final month that pitted them against League Leaders’ Shield winners Wakefield Trinity and a trio of top six hopefuls in Widnes, Featherstone Rovers and Sheffield Eagles.

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The Knights edged the sides’ last meeting 12-6 four weeks ago, with a converted Joe Law try and trio of Nikau Williams penalties sparing their blushes after Jacob Gannon’s late dismissal, but Dee is taking nothing for granted this time around.

“Widnes are a good team, they throw a lot of shape at you,” warned the Australian centre/second row.

“They’re a very smart team, and we’re going to have to be on our game to win.

“But the boys have got a lot of confidence at the moment, so we’re going to ride that confidence into this top six run.”

Last weekend’s 16-6 victory against Featherstone cemented both York’s place in the top six, and a coveted home play-off, with their desire and togetherness particularly brought to the fore in an intense second half.

That has been a key theme of their performances under Applegarth, with Dee admitting: “All the boys feed off each other’s energy and we try to practice that, getting up, getting that line speed and that energy.

“It’s contagious; you start it and then everyone wants to come in off you.

“That’s what it’s all about, those little last-ditch efforts. Sometimes it’s not about the system and making the right reads, it’s about those effort plays.”