York Knights 25 Bradford Bulls 14: Home double as Andrew Henderson's side break 2024 duck

The Knights went into their round five clash with Bradford Bulls as the only winless side in the Championship, a far cry from the closing stages of last season when they won 10 of their final 11 games to qualify for the play-offs.

York have carried their selection issues into 2024 but Andrew Henderson refused to make excuses before the game and got the performance he craved as the Knights gave their season lift-off.

It was the perfect afternoon for the club in the North Yorkshire sunshine after the Valkyrie launched their Women's Super League title defence with a thrilling victory over Challenge Cup holders St Helens.

Whereas the women needed a late try from Carrie Roberts to see off Saints, the Knights had Bradford where they wanted them for the majority of a hard-fought contest.

Liam Harris scored a decisive double in a man-of-the-match performance as the Knights avenged their 2023 play-off defeat to the Bulls.

"We came into the game with a lot of quality players missing but we drew a line after the game last week," said Henderson, whose side travel to Batley Bulldogs next week before hosting Whitehaven.

"I told the players it was all about the next three weeks and that there was a real opportunity for us if we were willing to work hard enough to earn the results.

"We've done a tremendous job in week one against Bradford. It was the strongest team performance I've seen from us this season.

"I'm super proud of them. They've really earned that result."

Bradford arrived as one of the competition's form teams after responding to their opening-round defeat to Wakefield Trinity with impressive wins against Halifax Panthers, Featherstone Rovers and Toulouse Olympique but they were second best, not helped by a series of injuries including the loss of Daniel Smith during the warm-up.

The Bulls overcame that early setback to enjoy a positive start thanks to a series of surging runs.

Jordan Lilley was the architect of the opening try after seven minutes, the half-back making a break from halfway before sending over a cross-field kick that was claimed by Jorge Taufua and kept alive for Kieran Gill to finish.

That was as good as it got for the Bulls in the first half as York slowly took control of the contest led by influential scrum-half Harris.

The momentum shifted after John Davies lost the ball in an exit set to put Bradford under pressure.

York made the breakthrough when veteran centre Jimmy Keinhorst picked Jordan Thompson's pass up off his toes to touch down.

Myles Harrison knocked over the conversion and then added a penalty following a ball steal by the creaking Bulls.

The home crowd had a performance to get behind and cranked the volume up another notch after Charlie Severs was floored by a huge shot from Taufua.

The winger – nicknamed 'The Jukebox' for his ability to produce big hits – became a pantomime villain with every touch booed by the York fans for the rest of the half.

If Taufua's tackle was an attempt to lift his team-mates, it had the opposite effect.

The aggrieved Knights ripped into tackles with more venom and had another try to celebrate as the interval approached.

After denying Lilley just short of the tryline during a rare spell of Bradford pressure, Thompson stepped back inside to score following an error by the visitors from a Harris kick.

York were good value for their 14-4 half-time lead and tightened their grip on the match after the interval.

Harris took the game by the scruff of the neck with two tries in the space of seven minutes, first forcing his way over from a scrum play before picking off Tyran Ott's pass to race 90 metres.

It was a first involvement to forget for Ott after replacing the injured Chester Butler.

Bradford struggled to issue anything in the way of a response, one Aidan McGowan break aside.

Harris knocked over a drop goal to take some time out of the game and Thompson threatened to put the result beyond doubt when he powered his way through a gap and into space.

The veteran forward was eventually brought down but York had done enough.

Eliot Peposhi touched down Lilley's kick under the sticks after a series of heroic efforts from the Knights on their own line and McGowan had the last word following a break by Davies to give the travelling fans something to cling to as they made their way back across the A64.

York Knights: Harrison, Brown, Severs, Keinhorst, Lineham, Pemberton, Harris, Ta'ai, Jubb, Fitzsimmons, Gannon, Bailey, Thompson. Substitutes: Teanby, Michael, Daley, Reynolds.

Tries: Keinhorst (13), Thompson (33), Harris (43, 50)

Goals: Harrison 3/4

Drop goal: Harris (57)

Bradford Bulls: McGowan, Blackmore, Arundel, Gill, Taufua, Davies, Lilley, Doro, Souter, Rogers, Fulton, Butler, Hallas. Substitutes: Appo, Wilson, Ott, Peposhi.

Tries: Gill (7), Peposhi (68), McGowan (80)

Goals: Lilley 1/2

Referee: Mike Smaill.