By MartinMorgan

Last updated 17:21, Monday, 21 July 2008

Workington Town 18 York City Knights 56: Town's injury crisis really hit home as they produced a miserable performance, shipping over 50 points for a second successive week.

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Town's Chris Young is held up by York players

At Rochdale last week they conceded 10 tries. It was nine yesterday against a York side who were effective without being spectacular.

Workington lacked confidence and many of York’s tries came from simple missed tackles rather than fantastic play from the visitors.

Town may have had their creative players on the field, the likes of Carl Forber, Bryce Poisel and Shaun Lunt.

But you win nothing without the big men in the middle to lay a platform, and with props Ryan Benjafield and Dean Burgess joining the club’s lengthy injury list over recent weeks, Workington simply lacked go-forward.

They were not helped by an astonishing 20-4 penalty count in York’s favour. And their frustration with young ref James Child, a familiar face to viewers of Super League on Sky Sports, where he’s a touch judge, spilled over at times, with a couple of those penalties awarded for dissent.

Matt Tunstall, usually an impact prop off the bench, was forced in to the starting line-up, such was Town’s shortage, and he performed beyond the call of duty.

And Carl Forber also put in a huge effort, showing a few classy touches, despite playing behind an out-gunned pack.

York seized the initiative in the fourth minute, loose-forward David March breaking through and then finding a great pass out of the tackle, hooker Paul Hughes completing the move.

Ten minutes later, Town missed two great chances to reply. First, Poisel was held up over the line, and Ryan Campbell was then penalised for a double movement as he touched down on the whitewash.

Lunt started on the bench but did not have long to wait to make an impact when given his chance, breaking on the short side on half-way. But his pass to Jamie Marshall found the winger hemmed in, and the move came to nothing.

Forber finally found a way through on 22 minutes, his superb reverse kick putting Jay Duffy in under the posts. Forber’s conversion levelled the scores.

Four minutes later, Tunstall’s boot saved a try, Hughes diving for the Workington line and planting the ball on the prop’s foot.

Duffy was forced to bat the ball dead at the end of the set, and from the re-start, second-row Ross Divorty charged on to a pass to score.

Adam Mitchell’s 32nd minute penalty put York 14-6 up, and an eight-point deficit at the interval would have been acceptable for Town.

But James Robinson was sin-binned for ball-stealing and disaster then struck after the half-time hooter sounded.

Workington looked to have York covered, only for the visitors to put a speculative chip over the top.

Town failed to clear it and the ball was hacked ahead for winger Steve Lewis to touch down.

The Cumbrians made a nightmare start to the second-half at Rochdale, and they produced a mirror image yesterday.

Lewis scored his second try on 45 minutes, Town failing to defuse a simple kick through the line.

Paul March shrugged off a defender to put the game beyond Town on 51 minutes, and after they spilled the ball 10 metres from their line, Tom Hodgson nipped over from dummy-half.

Town were then penalised in possession on their try line for dissent, Mitchell adding another four-pointer.

Marshall finally broke the siege with a break from deep in his own half, Forber and Scott Burgess taking the move to within 20 metres of the York line.

But Forber’s end-of-set chip was easily defused. And later in the York set, the visitors broke away and Hodgson completed an excellent six-man move to touch down next to the posts.

Marshall showed his pace on 68 minutes, intercepting on his own line and charging 80 minutes before being shackled.

But on the next tackle the ball was moved inside and Forber touched down between the sticks, adding the extras himself.

Marshall finally crossed on 70 minutes, with Lunt this time breaking down the left and the winger moving inside to take the pass. Forber converted.

Regular service resumed in the closing moments, after full-back Danny Ratcliffe collected Forber’s kick and waltzed through some feeble defence. Later in the set Scott Woodcock touched down for his team’s ninth try.

In the closing seconds, Mitchell wrapped up the win with a penalty goal, his 10th successful kick to round off a depressing 80 minutes for the hosts.

Match Facts

Town: Duffy, Dawes, McCully, Marsh, Marshall, Forber, Poisel, Tunstall, S Burges, Dobson, Robinson, Miller, Campbell. Subs: S Lunt, Young, Wilson, Kmet.

Tries: Duffy, Forber, Marshall

Goals: Forber 3

York: Ratcliffe, Oakes, Haberecht, Clayton, Lewis, Mitchell, P March, Sullivan, Hughes, Ekis, Divorty, Buckley, D March. Subs: Hodgson, Grundy, Bailey, Woodcock

Tries: Hughes, Divorty, Lewis 2, P March, Hodgson 2, Mitchell, Woodcock

Goals: Mitchell 10

Referee: James Child

Attendance: 565

Star Man: Carl Forber