Betfred Championship: York City Knights 28 Batley Bulldogs 24

Knights: Marsh 7, Mazive 7, Bass 8, Salter 8, Whiteley 7, Southernwood 7, Robinson 8, Baldwinson 8, Jubb 7, Teanby 6, Jordan-Roberts 7, Stock 6, Spears 7. Subs (all used): Brining 7, Horne 6, Blagbrough 7, Dixon 7.

Tries: Marsh 8; Robinson 17; Stock 23; Dixon 40; Jubb 62.

Conversions: Robinson 8, 23, 40, 62 (4/5).

Penalties: none (Robinson 0/1).

Sent off: none.

Sin-binned: none.

Batley: D Scott, Galbraith, Smeaton, Wood, Campbell, Jouffret, Brambani, Gledhill, Leak, Everett, Brearley, Bretherton, Manning. Subs (all used): Bienek, Brown, Butterworth, Ward.

Tries: Campbell 13, 58; Bienek 35, 65; Bretherton 73.

Conversions: Scott 35 (2/4).

Penalties: none.

Sent off: none.

Sin-binned: none.

Man of the match: Jason Bass – came up with some important contributions, not least in defence, the former Coventry Bears back continuing to raise eyebrows and prove his worth in the Championship.

Referee: Greg Dolan (Dewsbury) – Had a stinker here two weeks ago for the visit of Widnes and, while he was a bit better this time, he let a few dodgy tackles go, notably two late hits on former Bulldogs half-back Cain Southernwood.

Penalty count: 6-10

Half-time: 22-10

Weather: fresh but dry and still.

Attendance: 1,978

Moment of the match: It would have been a nice moment for loanee Cain Southernwood, on his Bootham Crescent debut against his former club, when he broke through and fed Ronan Dixon to do the rest and finish under the sticks just as the half-time hooter sounded. It proved not only a timely score but also a vital one in the final reckoning.

Gaffe of the match: it was a relatively still day but both sides made a couple of mistakes under high, spiralling kicks, and both paid for them.

Gamebreaker: Batley’s comeback made sure the game was in the balance right until the final hooter.

Match rating: this game was a little bit slow at times but it also had plenty of its moments. York were the better side in the first half and duly built a lead but Batley had much more energy in the final quarter and very nearly stole the spoils.