Match thread: Championship Round 26. York Knights v Featherstone Rovers. Sunday 29th September 2024.

[marklaspalmas]

Ok then.

This season has been a real struggle. Some cracking performances and great results.

Some alarming performances and frustrating results.

We all knew that  2024 was not going to be like previous years, but I suppose "making the playoffs" was a minimum requirement. Most pre-season tipsters had us down for 3rd or 4th.

And here we are. In 5th position, playing 4th for a playoff spot. Winners in, losers out, because 6th will win and 7th will probably win and claim their own playoff spot.

We had a full squad available last week and Bowes, Albert, Kibula and Patton missed out.

This week we have skipper Danny Addy suspended, so that's at least one change.

Squad on Friday, team an hour before kickoff on Sunday.

Up The Rovers

Edited September 25 by marklaspalmas

[HolmeKnight]

I think you will find York are currently 4th, not 6th (Sheffield are 6th). And by the way, Sunday is the 29th, not 28th!

[RBKnight]

Armed Forces Day at York RLFC on Sunday - 20% discounted tickets for service personnel/vets available

Armed Forces Day at York RLFC!

Otherwise, £20/£15 concessions/U16s FOC - you can purchase at the ground on day of match.

 

[J Phil Loxton]

Obviously York will be favourites because of recent form and they beat us at Post Office Road. But what you can't factor in is the shock wins that this division has thrown up this season. SO....I will give two predictions...If York win it will be 28-12... If Fev win it will be a dramatic 12-19 victory.

[Monkeymagic22]

If we pull off a performance like at Widnes, Bradford and against Toulouse we can win, if we play like we have done recently we will be well beaten. 

[georgeb1]

2 hours ago, J Phil Loxton said:

Obviously York will be favourites because of recent form and they beat us at Post Office Road. But what you can't factor in is the shock wins that this division has thrown up this season. SO....I will give two predictions...If York win it will be 28-12... If Fev win it will be a dramatic 12-19 victory.

Think you're bob on with 28_12 , we'll take that

[fevnut]

fevnut has posted ‘Past Matches against York Knights’, an informative listing of all the matches between the two clubs.

You will also find the details of the last match between us, the overall record of results and records in the matches such as highest scores, record winning margins etc.

The results section is divided into league matches, challenge cup games and other competitions such as play-offs, premierships, national league cup, John Player Trophy etc.

Access the charts by clicking on the attachment below.

https://bit.ly/3xqlr7i

[fevnut]

PAST MATCHES AGAINST YORK KNIGHTS

fevnut has posted ‘Past Matches against York Knights’, an informative listing of all the matches between the two clubs.

You will also find the details of the last match between us, the overall record of results and records in the matches such as highest scores, record winning margins etc.

The results section is divided into league matches, challenge cup games and other competitions such as play-offs, premierships, national league cup, John Player Trophy etc.

Access the charts by clicking on the attachment below.

https://bit.ly/3xqlr7i

[fevnut]

T’Other Side:  York Knights

fevnut has posted ‘T’Other Side:  York Knights’, our comprehensive guide to our next opponents.

In it we include their 2024 squad, their stats for this season and the details of their last match.

Other features include a list of their 2024 results, profiles of their coach and captain and a section that takes a look at players who have played for them and played for Fev as well.

Access the page by clicking on the attachment below.

https://bit.ly/4gFhfCs

[RobLambert]

Its knock out rugby from now and the usual suspects will be giddily preparing their posts for Sunday evening.  You would think that as we are all in the same sinking IMG boat that there may be some camaraderie amongst us Championship minions but I get the vibe that most supporters (of other clubs) would still love it if we didn't make the 6.  The feeling I get from the York forum (and their comments on here) is that we are a mere stepping stone to having a crack at Wakey in the Grand Final.  Suits us that doesn't it ?  Underdogs and nobody likes us.  Would we have it any other way though ? Lets revive the spirit of 2019.  I'm going for a comfortable Fev win.  Should we lose though I will be avoiding the forum - well for a few hours at least

[Simon Hall]

15 hours ago, RobLambert said:

The feeling I get from the York forum (and their comments on here) is that we are a mere stepping stone to having a crack at Wakey in the Grand Final.  

You've just made that bit up in your head haven't you? 

 

[andyacko]

17 hours ago, RobLambert said:

Its knock out rugby from now and the usual suspects will be giddily preparing their posts for Sunday evening.  You would think that as we are all in the same sinking IMG boat that there may be some camaraderie amongst us Championship minions but I get the vibe that most supporters (of other clubs) would still love it if we didn't make the 6.  The feeling I get from the York forum (and their comments on here) is that we are a mere stepping stone to having a crack at Wakey in the Grand Final.  Suits us that doesn't it ?  Underdogs and nobody likes us.  Would we have it any other way though ? Lets revive the spirit of 2019.  I'm going for a comfortable Fev win.  Should we lose though I will be avoiding the forum - well for a few hours at least

Bit of Fev Hate paranoia going on here.

Anybody that seriously watches Championship knows that Sunday is too close to call.

Most Knights fans wish only the best for Fordy (apart from against us).

Still think Widnes have a really tough task at Barrow.

Just hope we end the 80 with 13 v 13 and the best team on the day gets the win.

[RobLambert]

5 hours ago, Simon Hall said:

You've just made that bit up in your head haven't you? 

 

As opposed to making it up where ??

[haskey]

This bickering is pointless . We shall know the result at 4.45 pm on Sunday .

It is nearly as bad as the press etc thinking what tax Reeves is going to hit us in the autumn budget.

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, haskey said:

This bickering is pointless . We shall know the result at 4.45 pm on Sunday .

It is nearly as bad as the press etc thinking what tax Reeves is going to hit us in the autumn budget.

So what if we do/ don't get in play offs ,there's nowt at end of it.

[andyacko]

There is. A possible trip to Odsal  

[Fevrover]

5 minutes ago, andyacko said:

There is. A possible trip to Odsal  

Yer definitely cheered me up now, come on Rovers let's get to Odslum .

[sentoffagain2]

  Some posters have been saying in the unlikely event that Fev and York draw on Sunday both teams will qualify for the play offs over Widnes.How pleasing it is that Championship and League 1 don't have the ridiculous GOLDEN POINT to decide the winner .Instead of each a team getting a well deserved point  one would miss out on the play offs and extra revenue that brings.

[andyacko]

59 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

  Some posters have been saying in the unlikely event that Fev and York draw on Sunday both teams will qualify for the play offs over Widnes.How pleasing it is that Championship and League 1 don't have the ridiculous GOLDEN POINT to decide the winner .Instead of each a team getting a well deserved point  one would miss out on the play offs and extra revenue that brings.

Mash and Fordy on the phone as we speak! 

[POR]

Here we go

[sentoffagain2]

    Something like this i think Aekins Wynne Hardcastle Minikin  Gale Lacans Reynolds Locky Jones Nakabuawai Day Bussey Beckett  .subs Springer Albert Arnold Eden or will Ford Pick Patton on the bench?as interchange  for Jones at 9.That would free Lacans up as a runner rather than passer.Not the time to mess about with the team but with Addy suspended i would play Hardcastle in the back row and Eden in the centre.He has more pace than josh and is a good passer but then not as good by quite a bit in defence.Ford is not brave enough to do that though.

[The Phantom Horseman]

3 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

    Something like this i think Aekins Wynne Hardcastle Minikin  Gale Lacans Reynolds Locky Jones Nakabuawai Day Bussey Beckett  .subs Springer Albert Arnold Eden or will Ford Pick Patton on the bench?as interchange  for Jones at 9.That would free Lacans up as a runner rather than passer.Not the time to mess about with the team but with Addy suspended i would play Hardcastle in the back row and Eden in the centre.He has more pace than josh and is a good passer but then not as good by quite a bit in defence.Ford is not brave enough to do that though.

I think your starting 13 and indeed your bench is close to or even exactly how we'll go, though I guess there's a chance he could play Patton on the bench with a view to switching Lacans to 9 as an emergency, but I doubt it, I think Patton played his way out of the team in his last couple of games unfortunately.

I really don't see him switching Hardcastle (barring injury) for multiple reasons - time and again he's proved himself as totally reliable at centre especially in defence whereas Eden has little experience there and is a very iffy defender, he'd get targeted all day. Then you'd have to either play Hardcastle as a middle (where he's barely ever played) or switch Day and Bussey from the positions they've been playing all year. I don't know about Ford being not "brave" enough to do all that, I'd like to think he's not daft enough to.

The interesting thing is that we have only been able to name 20 with no Bowes or Kibula, both of whom were in the 21 last week but didn't feature.

[The Phantom Horseman]

I was thinking that York will probably be favourites for this game (and if they're not, they certainly should be), and this might be the first time for maybe 15 years that they will have gone into a game against Fev as favourites. The hope that I'm clinging to us is that we have produced our best form this year when we've been underdogs, but we really will need to get back to our form of a few weeks ago to be competitive against an in-form York, and of course we don't have our captain.

Edited September 27 by The Phantom Horseman

[Monkeymagic22]

Dec Patton hasn’t been the greatest since he returned from his ban, but he was very good before. I’d be tempted to have him on the bench, as he does have the talent to be game changer.

[Steve Slater]

9 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I really don't see him switching Hardcastle (barring injury) for multiple reasons - time and again he's proved himself as totally reliable at centre especially in defence whereas Eden has little experience there and is a very iffy defender, he'd get targeted all day. Then you'd have to either play Hardcastle as a middle (where he's barely ever played) or switch Day and Bussey from the positions they've been playing all year. I don't know about Ford being not "brave" enough to do all that, I'd like to think he's not daft enough to.

 

The only way I would switch Hardcastle would be so that Bussey could play the Danny Addy role - but it would indeed weaken the defence! Plus we don't really have another centre other than maybe Wynne or the exceptional centre who is totally irreplaceable at hooker, Connor Jones.