Historic victory lifts Knights and their supporters
The York Knights produced a dramatic 34-32 win over St Helens on Yorkshire Day, a result that marked the club’s first victory against the Saints in 80 years and sent the LNER Community Stadium crowd home in celebratory mood. The result moves Mark Applegarth’s side up to tenth place in the Betfred Super League and represents their seventh win of the season.
Six tries and late drama
York scored six tries on the night, with Oli Field grabbing two of them to finish as one of the home side’s most prominent scorers. The Knights raced into the match after an early St Helens score by Jake Davies, but quick responses — including two rapid tries involving Jon Bennison and Field — kept York in the contest.
- Final score: York 34–32 St Helens
- Home ground: LNER Community Stadium
- Key try-scorers: Oli Field (2), Paul Vaughan, Nikau Williams, others
Denive Balmforth’s try took the teams level at half-time, and early in the second half tries from Paul Vaughan and Nikau Williams put York in a ten-point lead. St Helens fought back late, with Harry Robertson and Jacob Douglas crossing inside the final ten minutes, but Field’s second try proved decisive. The visiting side had a late chance to level the match from the boot, but Hastings missed the kick that would have produced a draw.
"The theme for the whole week was about doing the tough stuff well and doing the tough stuff better than the opposition."
Those words from Mark Applegarth — spoken after the match — reflected a performance that he felt showed desire and togetherness, particularly in the face of a late Saints rally.
Squad notes and debutant
Applegarth handed a starting debut to Andy Djeukessi, who has linked up on loan from Newcastle Thunder and previously featured for Castleford Tigers and Workington Town. New signing Matty English, who joined on a rest-of-season loan from Huddersfield, was not included in the matchday squad, and David Nofoaluma missed out due to a Head Injury Assessment (HIA).
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tries for York | 6 |
| Season wins | 7 |
| League position after match | 10th |
The victory ends a run of defeats against Huddersfield Giants and Toulouse Olympique and represents a timely boost as the Knights look to consolidate their Super League status. For the local community, the result will be remembered not only for its rarity against St Helens but for the atmosphere at the stadium and the sense that York can compete with higher-profile clubs on the day.
Attention now turns to how the squad builds on this performance in coming fixtures and whether the loan signings and returning players can deliver further momentum in the second half of the campaign.
