YORK City Knights are keen to keep Nathan Massey at Huntington Stadium next season after the on-loan prop again impressed as Paul March’s men maintained their winning form.

The Knights won 34-6 at bottom club Hunslet Hawks to extend their winning sequence to five games and go back up to fifth place in Co-operative National League Two, on points-difference above big-spending Doncaster, whom they meet in a potentially vital away match on Friday.

And 19-year-old Massey again did well as a substitute prop in a tough match at South Leeds Stadium, which threatened at times to boil over.

York assistant-boss James Ratcliffe – who slated Hunslet’s roughhouse tactics – said the Knights had seen enough to want to extend Massey’s stay beyond this season, probably on a long-term loan deal from Castleford.

“He’s doing a good job,” said Ratcliffe, after the player’s second appearance since arriving at the club.

“For a 19-year-old lad, he looks like he’s got a decent future. We will try to get him for a season-long loan next year. I think he will be happy here. He’s enjoying his football and he enjoys the dressing room. Hopefully we can get something agreed.”

Massey, along with fellow props Adam Sullivan and Andy Bailey, had extra responsibility after captain Dave Buckley went off in the first half having taken a blow to a shoulder.

Player-boss March also left the field early after feeling a hamstring, while full-back Danny Ratcliffe played on despite carrying a similar problem.

March was taken off mainly as a precaution with the game already won, and it is hoped all three players will be okay for Friday, where a win is vital if the Knights are to stand any chance of finishing in the top four and thus having an easier run in the play-offs.

Ratcliffe intimated his side were lucky not to come away from Hunslet with any more injuries.

“We did well to keep our discipline against what I thought was a very ill-disciplined Hunslet side and get the three points from a potential banana skin fixture,” he said.

“You start fearing for players’ safety in some periods. It was a head fest, there were off-the-ball incidents and late challenges. We just needed to stay away from it. We looked at one point like we were going to get embroiled in it but we got back to playing rugby and winning the game.”

He admitted it was not the most fluid performance, but explained the heavy pitch meant they played with a little less depth and adventure.

“We will take an ugly win rather than a pretty defeat,” he added. “We were a bit flat as a team, but the players are not happy with what they’ve done – and that’s a good state to be in when we’ve only let in one try and scored 34 points.”

Gateshead Thunder were promoted to National League One following their 44-22 win over Blackpool.

That result means only Barrow, who lost 34-22 at promotion rivals Oldham, can catch the Tynesiders.