SOME York fans had wanted a good-looking win over relegation rivals Dewsbury to follow recent promising performances in defeat. Coach Dave Woods would’ve taken an ugly one.

In the end it was like Marilyn Monroe – not a definitive beauty but an absolute heart-stopper nonetheless.

An amazing game appeared won in the first half and lost in the second. Incredibly, it then looked drawn when winger Dave Sutton equalised a minute into stoppage time, crashing in beside the left flag after great work by James Ford.

Then up stepped the man for the big occasion, Chris Thorman.

The stand-off took over the goalkicking from youngster Tom Bush – despite the full-back’s four-from-four record – because the angle didn’t suit Bush’s left foot, but probably also because of the pressure of the moment.

As he lined it up, moving hoardings out of the way given it was so wide out, it looked improbable. But as the ball left his boot, kitman Rich Kirby, right behind it, raised his arm in celebration and joyous cheers from the travelling faithful followed.

The final hooter then signalled a rollercoaster 30-28 win which lifted the Knights out of the relegation zone and put the Rams in it.

Nerves should not have been shredded so much, though.

Dewsbury’s defence was enthusiastic – aided by a slack interpretation of the offside rule by referee Chris Leatherbarrow – but most of their tries came from kicks by dangermen Dom Brambani and Patch Walker, as they struggled to break through with ball in hand.

Ironically, two missed conversions by Brambani, one of them simple, proved crucial.

York, meanwhile, had bombed several chances, most notably by two-try Anthony Thackeray, and, after looking comfortable at 18-4 up, had allowed the hosts to go 26-18 ahead.

Beginning the game with the same 13 that had started the narrow loss to Widnes, but with new Hull loanee Jack Aldous and Dennis Tuffour replacing Ed Smith and Steve Lewis on the bench, the Knights had taken an early lead as a fine move down the left caught Dewsbury short, with Ford sending in Thackeray.

It should have got worse for the troubled Rams – now without a win in 11 games – when full-back Elliot Hodgson tried to pat, overarm, a Thorman kick to safety but only crashed it against the crossbar. A fumble followed but, from the scrum, Ryan Esders lost the ball under pressure at the try-line.

The Rams hit back when Bush failed to gather a Brambani kick and Scott Turner pounced, but, after Ayden Faal and Duane Straugheir had gone close at either end, the visitors upped their lead.

Thorman, creative throughout, bravely ran the last tackle on half-way and quick hands from centre Ford put Sutton down the touchline. His inside pass gave Matt Garside the try.

Aldous and Ben Jones had taken over at prop by then and the two pocket-rockets – Aldous is possibly the smallest prop now in the Championship but didn’t shirk work – were soon joined by mini-marvel Jonny Presley, taking over at hooker from Jack Lee.

It looked like York could have done with more size as Dewsbury kept them penned near their own sticks, but then another of the pocket dynamos, winger James Haynes, came to the fore.

The former Ram had moved to full-back, swapping with Bush, and promptly made 40 important metres from his own posts. Then Esders found a gap and out-paced former York winger Austin Buchanan for a superb try.

It looked good for York but the hosts, aware the trapdoor beckons, had been displaying a faster, if at times illegitimate, line speed, and they came back with a double whammy before half-time.

Firstly, Brambani put up a kick and Walker, looking decidedly offside, out-jumped Haynes too easily and scored.

Then, after Sutton had done excellently to take another Brambani kick only to lose the ball, Turner scored again.

Winger Tuffour replaced Haynes – suffering a recurrence of old neck pains – at half-time, and big props Benson and Nathan Freer were soon back.

But Dewsbury were still on top and, when Aldous, now at second-row, lost the ball cheaply to mar his display, Smith gave the hosts the lead.

Then brilliance by Brambani – knocking a Walker kick back before spectacularly hurdling the hoardings – gave Elliot Cosgrove a try.

Brambani, though, fluffed the easy conversion, and York’s victory hopes rose when Thackeray scored again after Rhys Clarke had made the break from a fine Thorman pass.

York then looked sure to retake the lead as Thackeray broke through again – only to bomb the simple chance when passing to the floor rather than Clarke.

This miss underlined a patchy period where good moments – not least a wonderful cover tackle by Esders on Buchanan – were spoiled by bad.

A Walker penalty from half-way – after Bush was deemed to hold down after a probable try-saving tackle – made it 28-24, and York’s hopes were ebbing away when Thackeray had a try ruled out after Esders’ brilliant, but slightly forward, pass.

But, with the last chance seemingly gone, a Jones tackle caused Matthew Tebb to lose possession 25 metres out. Ford, Sutton and Thorman did the rest.

Match facts

Rams: Hodgson, Smith, Faal, Turner, Buchanan, Brambani, Walker, Hirst, Blake, Lockton, Sarsfield, Cosgrove, Tonks.

Subs (all used): Fletcher, Barteau, England, Tebb.

Tries: Turner 10, 40; Walker 38; Smith 51; Cosgrove 55.

Conversions: Brambani 38, 40, 51.

Penalties: Walker 66.

Knights: Bush 6, Sutton 6, Esders 7, Ford 8, Haynes 6, Thorman 8, Thackeray 7, Freer 8, Lee 7, Benson 7, Straugheir 6, Garside 7, Clarke 7.

Subs (all used): Presley 6, Aldous 6, Tuffour 6, Jones 6.

Tries: Thackeray 3; Garside 26; Esders 34; Thackeray 60; Sutton 80.

Conversions: Bush 3, 26, 34, 60; Thorman 80.

Man of the match: James Ford – looked dangerous down the left, helping youngsters Matt Garside and Dave Sutton to come on too, and set up three of York’s five tries, including Sutton’s last-minute decider.

Referee: Chris Leatherbarrow (St Helens) – awfully slack on Dewsbury offsides.

Penalty count: 6-5.

Attendance: 974.

Half-time: 16-18.

Weather: very hot, with a swirling breeze.

Gamebreaker: Dave Sutton equalised a minute into stoppage time thanks to James Ford’s superb pass after drawing the defence. Then up stepped Chris Thorman to convert, in a swirling breeze, from the touchline.

Moment of the match: Thorman’s last-ditch conversion. Few gave him a chance, with his first goal attempt of the day, from half a metre in from the left touchline. With hearts pounding all around, he was a picture of calm as he struck it perfectly.

Gaffe of the match: Anthony Thackeray could have gone past the full-back, or he could have passed to Rhys Clarke to give York the lead again with 15 minutes to go. But he threw the ball forward.

Match rating: nerve-shredding.