Last updated 12:41, Monday, 14 April 2008

York City Knights 20 Workington Town 24: Workington got their 2008 campaign up and running with a 24-20 victory at York - even though they did their best to throw it away.

Star Man: Town’s Aussie prop Ryan Benjafield

Town had led 18-0 after an excellent first half but continually shot themselves in the foot as they allowed the home team to score 20 unanswered points.

Franco Kmet had been as guilty as anyone as he got himself sin-binned for a high tackle moments after his side had been warned for persistent infringements.

However, he then became the hero as he scored the winning try seven minutes from time to at last earn his side maximum Co-operative National League Two points.

Town have not had the rub of the green much this year but they got their fair share in this instance.

Carl Forber missed a simple penalty as he looked to tie the scores at 20-20, but the ball rebounded back to his side off the right-hand upright and, two tackles later, Rob Lunt created space for loose-forward Kmet to blast over for a converted try.

Lunt was a key player in this game, he and Kmet having shifted around in the reshuffle that followed injury to Shaun Lunt in the loss at Blackpool. Rob Lunt took his brother’s role at hooker, with Kmet in turn taking his number 13 shirt.

Lunt impressed, not least when finishing a superb first-half try that underlined Town’s superiority in those early stages over an uninspired York outfit. Matthew Tunstall created space for winger Stephen Dawes to make good ground, and he timed his pass perfectly for Lunt to sprint home, under pressure, from near half-way.

Former Knight Ryan Benjafield, another player to excel, making his presence felt up front, had earlier given Town the lead, forcing his way through indifferent tackles.

Forber converted and eked up the lead with a penalty. Then came Lunt’s converted try, and it became 18-0 when Forber, lucky to see his grubber kick ricochet back to him, sent centre Jason Mossop crashing in.

York had fortune themselves when getting on the scoreboard. Adam Endersby clearly fumbled the ball moments before David March’s superb pass sent Ross Divorty over for Danny Ratcliffe to convert.

Ratcliffe missed an easy penalty on half-time but put his shooting boots back on to convert twice more as the Knights fought back to draw level at 18-18.

Firstly, referee Matthew Thomason deemed Town offside - on the sixth tackle as well - and, with York’s attack re-energised, the play was switched to the right wing where Steve Grundy had plenty of space to run home.

Then Kmet was sin-binned - Town had themselves to blame, more so than referee, for a 16-7 penalty count in York’s favour - and a minute later hooker Paul Hughes dug over from dummy-half.

Ratcliffe then added a 30-metre penalty to edge his side ahead, only for Kmet to strike at the other end six minutes later.

Town thus maintained their hoodoo over York, which now comprises seven matches and stretches back to 2004. They will hope, however, that nothing comes of a scuffle which broke out after York’s equalising try and which was put on report.

MATCH FACTS

Knights: Ratcliffe, Mapals, Oakes, Lewis, Leeke, D March, Grimshaw, Woodcock, Hughes, Buckley, Applegarth, Divorty, Kelly. Subs (all used): Greenwood, Grundy, Bailey, Endersby.

Tries: Divorty (38); Grundy (54); Hughes (58).

Conversions: Ratcliffe (38, 54, 58).

Penalties: Ratcliffe (67).

Workington: McCully, Dawes, Routledge, Mossop, Blair, Forber, Duffy, Benjafield, R Lunt, Burgess, Marsh, Miller, Kmet. Subs (all used): Gorman, Tunstall, Robinson, Young.

Tries: Benjafield (6); R Lunt (24); Mossop (30); Kmet (73).

Conversions: Forber (6, 24, 73).

Penalties: Forber (20).

Sin-binned: Kmet (57).

Referee: Matthew Thomason (Warrington)

Penalty count: Knights 16, Town 7

HT: 6-18

Attendance: 1,028

Star man: Ryan Benjafield - made a big impact at prop against his former club.