LIONS 16, YORK CITY KNIGHTS 32: The Knights marched on in top spot in National League Two with a hard fought victory in the Sedgley Park sunshine. leaving Lions' coach Paul Kidd in a frustrated and exasperated mood.

"I cannot fault our effort and commitment but we gave away too many penalties yet again and allowed them back into the game," he said: "You cannot give away position on the field like we did and expect to win."

It was the Lions who took the lead in the fourth minute when prop Danny Heaton broke the Knights' defence to put Mick Coates through a gap.

He in turn put in a kick for the corner and Chris Maye won the race with Matt Blaymire for the touchdown, but Lee Marsh was unable to convert from the touchline.

The Knights came back in the ninth minute when Ian Sinfield was penalised and they put pressure on the Lions line, resulting in Blaymire forcing his way over for a try near the corner. Paul Thorman added the kick.

Lions centre Lee Patterson made a good break down the right with his winger in support but chose the wrong option and moved inside and the chance went begging.

Marsh then put in a good kick over the Knights line in the 23rd minute and Blaymire was forced to knock the ball dead in goal.

From the resulting drop-out the Lions hit back and debutant scrum-half Phil Anderton, on loan from St Helens, put Marsh in at the corner; he then added the goal points.

Unfortunately Anderton was forced to leave the field a few minutes later with suspected broken ribs.

The Knights came back to take the lead again on the stroke of half-time, when Lions' second row man Matt Leigh was penalised for a high tackle on Scott Rhodes and within a couple of tackles Blaymire claimed his second try and Thorman again added the goal points.

Patterson bombed a try for the Lions in the opening minutes of the second half when he knocked-on from a Marsh pass just short of the tryline.

He was then tackled into touch on the first tackle in the 46th minute and Jim Elston raced past some weak tackles to score by the posts, with Thorman yet again adding the goal points.

He then kicked a penalty goal a couple of minutes later when Phil Joseph was caught for ball stealing.

The try of the match came in the 52nd minute when Elston had made a break for the Knights but sent out a forward pass to Potter. From the resulting scrum Wayne English raced 85 metres to score under the posts at the other end.

Marshs successful conversion brought the Lions back to within four points.

In reply the Knights came storming back again and Potter made a good break to put out a slip pass to Peter Fox who raced in under the posts and Thorman converted.

The Knights scrum-half added another penalty goal on the hour, as the Lions' disipline was again letting them down badly.

Winger Ross made the game safe for the Knights five minutes from time when the Lions lost the ball near the line and he raced in at the corner, but Thorman this time could not convert from the touchline.

Lions : English, Oldham, Patterson, Maye, Irwin, Coates, Anderton, Heaton, Joseph, Rogers, Leigh, Sinfield, Marsh. Subs: Ayres, Russell, Southern, Whittaker.

Ian Rigg

LHF HEALTHPLAN

NATIONAL LEAGUE TWO

P W D L F A Diff Pts

York 11 9 0 2 431 219 212 18

Dewsbury 11 9 0 2 357 211 146 18

Hunslet 11 7 0 4 286 229 57 14

Workington 11 7 0 4 340 331 9 14

LIONS 11 6 0 5 382 282 100 12

Sheffield 10 5 0 5 248 296 -48 10

Gateshead 11 5 0 6 271 332 -61 10

Keighley 11 4 0 7 249 278 -29 8

London Skolars 10 1 0 9 159 338 -179 2

Blackpool 11 1 0 10 186 393 -207 2