York City Knights 26 Gateshead Thunder 22: Green swaps Hull for Knights as his double swings game to York
Gateshead had provided early notice of their intentions to play expansive rugby with former York players Mike Mitchell and Tom Hodgson both crossing the line within the first seven minutes to stun the home side.
With playmaker Ryan Clarke’s kicking, including a superb 40:20, ensuring the game was played largely in York’s territory the Knights offered little by way of positive response.
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Hide AdYork stand-off Brett Turner finally breached the defensive line with a delightfully timed run and Paul King’s sublime timing allowed Joe Hemmings to power through and score before adding a second try minutes later, when bursting onto Turner’s delayed pass.
Any thoughts that Gateshead would ultimately perhaps fold were entirely misplaced as after Sutton was penalised for striking out within his own 10-metres the ball was worked left for Josh Neilson to score.
An excellent break over 25-metres from Thunder substitute Will Blake saw Hodgson continue the play and Mitchell added his second try of the afternoon with Hodgson’s conversion creating an eight-point lead.
York struggled to offer any creatively but within a three-minute spell Chris Green turned the game around using his physical strength to simply force his way over the line close to the posts and Tom Bush converted both to provide a four-point lead.
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Hide AdYork City Knights: Bush, Dent, Haughey, Elliott, Sutton, Turner, Tansey, Broughton, Brining, Benson, Clarke, Hemmings, King Substitutes: Lee, Green, Howard, Burns.
Gateshead Thunder: Peers, Thackeray, Mitchell, Neilson, Williams, Walsh, Clarke, Waller, Hodgson, McBride, Barron, O’Mara, Payne Substitutes: Bate, Brown, Parker, Welton.
Referee: D Sharpe (Manchester).