York is renowned as a world-class tourist destination, famous for its Minster, historic Shambles, quaint shops and pubs, yet the city’s rugby league side are edging back on the map too.
Tomorrow night, ambitious York City Knights, of the second-tier Championship, will host aristocratic Wigan Warriors in the third round of the Challenge Cup, in the clubs’ first meeting for 35 years.
That alone has a ring to it, but for York the significance of the match goes deeper. It is a significant opportunity for James Ford’s side to prove they belong in such exalted company in a season where they are bidding to win promotion to Super League.
Four months ago, the Knights applied to replace Toronto Wolfpack after the Canadian’s club demise but Leigh Centurions were chosen instead, yet York remain a coming force in the British game. Ambition pulses loudly around their plush new 8,005-seater LNER Stadium, which the Knights share with York City Football Club.
Desire is visible and audible in chairman Jon Flatman, a head coach bursting with energy and drive and a raft of high-profile signings. York’s recruitment drive before the 2021 campaign harvested the acquisition of seasoned Super League players such as Adam Cuthbertson, Ben Jones-Bishop, Ryan Atkins, Kieran Dixon and Danny Kirmond.
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If York reach the promised land this year, they will have done it the right way — by winning promotion on the field.
“Everyone in our team has either played Super League or wants to get there,” Ford, the 38-year-old head coach, says. “To face the elite of the game in Wigan is a fantastic opportunity and it’s the magic of the cup, so who knows what could happen?
“For us, it’s an opportunity to grow our reputation as an organisation and we want to win the game — but would I swap beating Wigan for six league points? I’m not sure.”
Ford has proved central to York’s dramatic rise. A former player with Sheffield Eagles, Castleford Tigers, Widnes Vikings and York, Ford took over the reins at the Knights after hanging up his boots at the end of the 2014 season. He was there during the bad times, when the club had no ground and nowhere to train.
Staying loyal was a leap of faith for Ford, but the club have been upwardly mobile since a consortium led by Flatman took control at the end of 2016. After being promoted from League 1 as champions in 2018, Ford’s men finished third in the second tier in 2019.
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He became York’s first-ever full-time head coach three years ago after giving up his job as a college lecturer. “I made a decision that I wanted to stay and help the club reach its potential,” Ford, whose squad remain part-time, added.
“We haven’t done that yet but we’re on a path towards it. There is no point in me sitting there with my violin out about what happened here previously. It’s about focusing on the future rather than on the ridiculous situation we faced a few years ago.”
Wigan have won the Challenge Cup a record 19 times and Adrian Lam, their head coach, has named a strong squad to face York. Lam, a former Papua New Guinea scrum half who played for Wigan in their 2002 Challenge Cup final win over St Helens at Murrayfield, has closely tracked the Knights’ progress and regularly visits the city.
“I just love York; its history, culture and how beautiful it is,” Lam, whose best young players such as Morgan Smithies, Harry Smith and Ethan Havard have been coached by Ford in the England Academy system, said. “I first went to York with the Papua New Guinea side in 1995. We were based in Hull and had a day trip to York, so I spend a lot of time there now when we get time off.
“I have watched the Knights’ progress over the past couple of years. They have an owner who is really positive about rugby league and a coach who is working hard to make big progress on the field. We know it’s going to be a tough day. I don’t think many people will give York a chance but that’s not fair. York will thrive off that because they have players with Super League experience.”
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York have never come close to being in Super League, having fallen out of the top flight a decade before the competition’s formation in 1996, but tomorrow’s clash with Wigan has revived memories of their 1984 Challenge Cup semi-final at Elland Road, when York lost 14-8.
They took about 10,000 fans to Leeds and interest in the club is growing again, even if tomorrow’s tie will be played in front of empty stands.
With fans set to return from next month, Flatman says the club aims to triple its turnover in 2021 and Cuthbertson certainly has no regrets about dropping down a division after six trophy-laden seasons at Leeds Rhinos.
The Australian forward, set to make his 300th career appearance against Wigan, declared: “One thing I will say is that York is as professional as any club I’ve been at; the facilities, the stadium, the way we train, everything.
“The only difference is that we only get to train three times a week. It’s been a real eye-opener and I think we will be in a really strong position come the end of the year.”
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Ford hails from Castleford, whose head coach Daryl Powell will leave the club at the end of the season to take over at Warrington Wolves, leaving the Tigers position vacant.
Could Ford step up to take the Castleford job? “I’ve got a job to do at York,” he said. “I’ve got a good squad here with great facilities and I’m really committed to doing the best I possibly can for York.”
