Halifax 76 York City Knights 38: Defences struggle as Halifax run in 13 tries to demolish York

With captain and hooker Sean Penkywicz – a close friend of Calland who had already ‘tweeted’ his apparent displeasure at his mentor’s exit in the hours after the coach’s shock departure on Friday – producing a stunning individual performance, Fax recovered from an early 10-0 deficit to run riot in attack against the relegation-threatened City Knights.

They scored 13 tries – winger Paul White leading the way with a treble – all but one of which were converted by Danny Jones.

It is doubtful that it was the kind of free-wheeling afternoon the caretaker coach Damian Ball or the club’s football consultant Brian Noble – absent yesterday on BBC duty – would regard as acceptable in a normal week.

But in truth – with a coach gone in mysterious circumstances and that Northern Rail Cup final loss to Leigh still raw in the memory – this game was all about the result and not much else.

Ironically, and perhaps predictably given the upheaval, it was York who had made the early running.

There were only three minutes on the clock when Miles Greenwood appeared to be shoved over as he covered Jon Presley’s grubber kick, but the scrum went York’s way and some simple left to right passing saw Dennis Tuffour slip past White to score in the corner.

Tom Bush’s conversion drifted wide, leaving the visitors leading 4-0, and things got worse as Anthony Thackeray set-up Duane Straugheir.

This time Bush did the business for a 10-0 lead to leave Fax on the ropes before Anthony Bowman burst through the defence from Bob Beswick’s pass and sending the supporting Stephen Bannister over to the left of the posts.

Jones kicked the goal to cut the deficit to 10-6 and Fax – and Bowman – then made it back to back scores: the teenager again breaking the line and sending Paul Smith on a diagonal run to the right corner. Jones booted the extras off the sideline to put Fax 12-10 ahead and although there was a brief blip when Garside pounced on another Presley kick to put York 14-12 up, the home side were now on the front foot.

The introduction of Penkywicz from the bench proved pivotal, the hooker setting up two tries and scoring a third in a devastating eight-minute spell.

Jacob Fairbank got the first, Makali Aizue rampaged through from 10 metres out, before a Penkywicz try, Jones converting all three for 30-14.

Further tries followed from Rob Worrincy and White before York’s Steve Lewis struck twice for 42-26.

Ryan Clayton traded tries with Thackeray, before efforts from White (2) and Dylan Nash (2).

Bowman set up Penkywicz for his second before the Knights had the last word, James Ford running away down the middle to score the final try.

Halifax: Greenwood, White, Haley, Nash, Worrincy, Jones, Bowman, Gannon, Beswick, Cherryholme, Smith, Bannister, Fairbank. Substitutes: Aizue, Penkywicz, S. Barlow, Clayton.

York: Bush, Tuffour, Esders, Ford, Sutton, Presley, Thackeray, Freer, Lee, Benson, Straugheir, Garside, Clarke. Substitutes: Haynes, Waller, Jones, Lewis.

Referee: C Leatherbarrow (RFL).