“IF you look back in 20 years’ time, no-one’s going to remember anything other than you got knocked out in the first round of the play-offs if you don’t get through.”

That is the stark message from York Knights boss Mark Applegarth ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s Betfred Championship Play-off Eliminator against Widnes Vikings (3pm).

The reward for the victor is a trip to either Wakefield Trinity or Toulouse Olympique next weekend, something that seemed nothing more than a pipe dream when Applegarth was appointed with the club on the fringes of relegation in June.

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His achievements have seen award nominations come flooding into the LNER Community Stadium, with the Knights shortlisted in all three Betfred Championship categories at Tuesday’s RFL End of Season Awards.

York have lost just a quarter of Applegarth’s 16 matches in charge, but the head coach insists that means nothing unless his side back up their fancied form in the end-of-season series.

Speaking to The Press, he warned: “Ultimately, if you look back in 20 years’ time, no-one is going to remember anything other than you got knocked out in the first round of the play-offs if you don’t get through.

“You get judged on winning or losing.

“It’s been a great rollercoaster so far this year, and we don’t want to get off it just yet.

“We come into these play-offs knowing that if we hit our own standards, we’re as good as anyone.

“We’re in it to win it just like every other team in that play-off group should be.

“There’s been some great highs, some low lows, but that’s sport isn’t it.

“You’ve got to ride it, keep a level head and don’t lose track of the task at hand, which is coming up against a well-coached and difficult Widnes team and making sure that we’re ready for that so we can progress on our own goals.”