BOSS Dave Woods reckoned his York City Knights underdogs had to be in the game a quarter of the way through to have any chance of shocking Hull KR in the Challenge Cup fourth round yesterday.

As the clock neared 20 minutes, they trailed only 12-6, buoyed by a superb try finished by Mark Barlow.

However, while Woods had hoped a close scoreline at this stage could give the Super League giants a few “twitchy bums”, the visitors kept a professional head and, aided by some obliging refereeing from Gareth Hewer, bagged four tries in eight decisive minutes to run clear.

Nonetheless, the final 64-22 result was still flattering for the visitors – especially given they came with virtually a first-choice 17, barring a debut for strapping teenage forward Jordan Cox, while Woods rested five front-line players, including playmakers-in-chief Chris Thorman and Jack Lee.

A few fans joked the Knights let Rovers off the hook with their team selection. “Just think what the score would’ve been if we’d played our first team” wrote one on a rugby league messageboard.

Obviously it would be impertinent to argue the Knights would have won on another day – there are very few days when part-timers beat full-timers – but they could at least have won the second half, which, as it was, ended 22-16 to Rovers after another try blitz.

On top of that, if you cross off a couple of tries that might not have counted with another referee, and the final scoreline would have been closer.

Cross off a couple that followed basic errors from the Knights and it could’ve been closer still.

And then take off a few of the conversions booted by goalkicker supreme Michael Dobson (he kicked ten from 11, from all parts of the windy ground), and you’ve got a more realistic reflection of the game as a whole.

And it is from that fact that the Knights can take heart as they turn back their attentions to consolidation in the Championship.

Okay, the Robins might not be the most in-form team in Super League but they were full of internationals, and they came with a professional attitude, as shown from the start.

The speed with which they began had York on the back foot – they clearly wanted to avoid any “twitchy bum time” – and the first to benefit was York old boy Peter Fox, who crashed over down the right.

The former York Acorn ARLC junior and now England winger, who made his name with his home-town club, has had a particularly lean time of it, with no tries in nine appearances this year.

But he got off the mark just four minutes into his return to Huntington Stadium.

He also set up a touchdown for Matt Cook and, in the second half, scored a scintillating try down the wing – bringing back memories of his two seasons at Huntington Stadium.

He said afterwards he enjoyed being back. “I went into the wrong dressing room when we came in,” he joked. If only he could play here every week.

Blake Green added a second try early on and, with York also losing Tom Bush to a dead leg and having to reshuffle – James Haynes went to full-back and substitute playmaker Jonny Presley filled in on the wing – it looked glum.

But then came a great home try, on York’s first foray into Rovers territory.

Anthony Thackeray ran the last tackle and a superb pass from centre James Ford had Presley scampering down the flank. Presley’s inside pass saw Mark Barlow fight off the cover to score, Lee Waterman adding the first of his three conversions.

York also forced a dropout with their second foray, only for a controversial refereeing call to give the Robins territorial assistance they did not need, Ben Galea benefiting with a try.

Within eight minutes, Rovers had scored thrice more, through Louis Sheriff, Dobson, with a fine solo effort, and Cook, after great work by Fox and substitute hooker Ben Fisher. York generally defended well but any slip-up was made costly.

Cox got a debut try to make it 42-6 at half-time, and it was thought the Knights’ aim thereafter would be merely to keep the score down.

However, despite losing another player to injury – half-back Benn Hardcastle was stretchered off with medial ligament damage – they took the game to Rovers.

Nathan Freer and Jack Stearman led the work up front and scrum-half Thackeray was a constant threat. Presley also did a good job as replacement hooker, with Steve Lewis, York’s Mr Play Anywhere, switching from loose-forward to the wing.

Thackeray sent Stearman barging home, then booted a 40-20 from which Barlow fought over again.

Home tails were up, only for mistakes to creep into York’s game again, and Rovers tries followed for Kris Welham, Jake Webster, after a dodgy refereeing call and lucky deflection under a high kick, Cox and Fox.

However, at no point did York – featuring ten players from Hull in their ranks – throw the towel in and they had the last word as one of those Humbersiders, Lee Waterman, battled over the line after Presley went down the short side.

Match facts

Knights: Bush 6, Wilson 8, Waterman 7, Haynes 7, Thackeray 8, Hardcastle 7, Freer 8, Barlow 8, Benson 7, Esders 7, Garside 7, Lewis 7.

Subs (all used): Stearman 8, Waller 7, Presley 7, Smith 7.

Tries: Barlow 13, 48; Stearman 46; Waterman 80.

Conversions: Waterman 13, 46, 48.

Hull KR: Sheriff, Fox, Welham, Webster, Cockayne, Green, Dobson, Wheeldon, Hodgson, Clinton, Cook, Galea, Netherton.

Subs (all used): Lovegrove, Fisher, Watts, Cox.

Tries: Fox 4, 72; Green 8; Galea 19; Sheriff 23; Dobson 25; Cook 27; Cox 35, 68; Welham 54; Webster 64.

Conversions: Dobson 4, 8, 19, 23, 25, 27, 35, 64, 68, 72.

Man of the match: Nathan Freer – was awarded The Press Player of the Month for April before the game and continued his fine form with another notable shift against some international forward foes.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven) – didn’t really help the underdogs with some indifferent calls.

Penalty count: 4-6.

Attendance: 2,463.

Half-time: 6-42.

Weather: pleasant but with a wind blowing down-pitch.

Moment of the match: Mark Barlow’s first try – it was a fine finish at the end of an excellent move featuring half-back Anthony Thackeray, James Ford, at centre, and Jonny Presley.

Gaffe of the match: James Haynes spoiled an excellent display on his return from injury when fumbling a dropout, giving Rovers back the ascendancy during a good spell for York in the second half.

Gamebreaker: York might have been long shots but they weren’t out of the game at 12-6 down approaching the quarter-mark, until four Rovers tries in eight minutes took them clear.

Match rating: not a bad game or atmosphere for a theoretically one-sided cup tie.