Match Report – York City Knights 46 Swinton Lions 10

26 July 2021

A much-changed Lions side suffered a heavy defeat in the Yorkshire sunshine.

The Knights took the lead straight from the kick-off when Kieran Dixon’s kick bounced very unkindly forcing Owen Buckley to catch the ball but he fell into touch as he caught it. From the play the ball, Chris Clarkson crossed for the opening try after only fifty-six seconds but Dixon was off target with the conversion attempt.

The second try came after seven minutes when birthday boy Ronan Dixon went over by the posts and Kieran Dixon converted. Three minutes later it got even worse when Leeds Rhinos academy prospect Corey Hall made a super break down the left to feed the supporting Dixon and he raced over and added the conversion to his own try.

The Lions hit back on twenty-two minutes when Jack Hansen launched a kick down field and Dixon collected it in his own twenty but the chasing Hansen stole the ball one on one in the tackle and this attack finished with Ben Heyes scoring in the left corner. Hansen could not add the conversion from the touchline.

The Lions had a couple of good attacking sets after this with Ronan Michael and Mitch Cox going close but it was the Knights who increased their lead seven minutes from the break when Matty Marsh opened the defence to set up Danny Kirmond and Dixon converted this one. Another Lions chance was blown just before the break when Buckley rose higher than Dixon to collect a high kick and pass to the supporting Luis Roberts but the pass was forward and the Knights held an eighteen point lead at the break.

Defences were on top early in the second half and it was the Lions who scored first when Deane Meadows crossed by the posts on fifty-two minutes and Hansen added the conversion. Play then got a little sloppy with both teams making many handling errors before Marsh sold a dummy to score by the posts and Dixon converted.

Hansen created a little bit of magic on sixty-five minutes when he chipped the Knights defence and regathered the ball before putting a kick to the corner for the chasing Ben Heyes but the ball just over ran him. Luis Roberts had to leave the field on sixty-seven minutes for a head check and he didn’t return. The Knights finished strongly scoring three more tries in the final twelve minutes with Marsh, Dixon and Dow-Nikau all going over and Dixon converting them all.

Ian Rigg at the LNER Community Stadium

Lions: Doyle, Buckley, Roberts, Cox, Heyes, Green, Hansen, Spencer, Waterworth, Michael, Hope, Gregson, Brogan. Subs : J.Brown, Jones, Nash, Meadows.