York and Bradford met each other to conclude the second round of the rugby league Betfred Championship at the Yorkshire county town’s LNER Community Stadium last night.
Newly promoted York were looking to make their mark on the competition, having lost last week to Widnes, while fielding three teenagers. The Bulls were seeking a two-from-two start to the new season.
It was York who gave away the games first penalty after 90 seconds. And while it looked at first as if they’d dealt with the the threat, they dropped the ball as Joe Brown left the field injured.
Flanagan was held up and although he kicked for David Foggin-Johnston to run through and look to ground, the officials ruled it invalid.
Bradford showed good defending and attacking as both teams had their had good attacking chances in the opening 10 minutes,
It was almost 10 more though, before the scorekeeper was actually troubled though, Michael Lawrence kicking the ball out wide where Foggin-Johnston leapt and grounded it before crossing touch in goal.
The visitors couldn’t convert the try, but five minutes later David Jubb kept pressure on to test the Bradford middle and power over under the post. A clean conversion attempt put York ahead 6-4 ahead.
But minutes later Bodene Thompson dived under the York posts for the Bulls, with Declan Patton making no mistake to take the score to 6-8 and then 6-10.
Just minutes later, Danny Kirby equalised next to the Bulls posts and Glover kicked it over make the score 12-10.
Newly introduced Ronan Michael kick raced onto a stabbed kick-though near the Bulls line and Ronan Michael to score under posts - a try which Glover converted for an 18-10 half-time lead.
The second half started with back-to-back penalties in the first five minutes, both kicked from out left - in one case out on the left touchline.
Their third score came 15 minutes into the half when Glover was awarded another kick at goal with when Kirby was taken out off the ball while racing to chase a kick into Bradford’s in-goal, and took the Knights’ lead out to 14 points.
Bradford made a number of forays towards the York end, and once or twice even into their in-goal area - but none came to anything. On the other hand, while the Knights stuck to kicking penalties, they more often than not came back with something to show for their own runs up field.
That was particularly demonstrated with 10 minutes to go when they kicked ahead and forced Tom Holmes back into his in-goal after he gathered the ball.
And to rub salt in, the Bulls failed to make the 10m when kicking out - but Foggin-Johnston made the mistake of picking the ball up without it having gone dead, and giving away another penalty.
That was followed by a try under the posts from Daley and the inevitable Glover conversion for a 32-10 score with less than 10 minutes of the game left.
In the final minute of the game, Bradford scored their first points of the half with Lilley slicing through a gap that opened up in front of the posts and Patton adding the two extras to finish the game off.
York RLFC Knights: Brown (injured); Harrison, Glover (4G, 4P), Edwards Towse; Marsh, Harris; Antrobus, Jubb (T), Fitzsimmon, Dee, Kirmond, J Thompson. Substitutes: Daley (T), Michael (T), Teanby, Kirby (T), Hingano. 18th Man: Barnard.
Bradford Bulls: Holmes; Blackmore, Arundel, Gill, Foggin-Johnston (T), Patton (2G), Lilley (T), Lawrence, Flanagan, Foster, England, Wallace, B Thompson (T). Substitutes: Roby, Butler, Balldwinson, Rogers. Myers. 18th Man: Appo.
Score progression: 0-4, 4-4, 6-4, 6-8, 6-10, 10-10, 12-10, 16-10, 18-10. HT. 20-10, 22-10, 24-10, 30-10, 32-10, 32-14, 32-16. FT.
Referee:
Venue: LNER Community Stadium.
