York Knights will be seeking to move within two points of the Betfred Championship Play-Offs when they make the trip to Newcastle Thunder on Friday night (8pm).
York currently sit ninth in the table after 22 matches, four points adrift of sixth-placed London Broncos. The Knights will be hoping to half that gap before the weekend with a win against bottom club Newcastle.
Andrew Henderson's side have won five of their last six league matches as they seek to end 2023 on a high with only five regular season fixtures left in the calendar.
York racked up four straight Betfred Championship victories against Halifax Panthers (28-18), Keighley Cougars (10-50), Sheffield Eagles (23-18) and London Broncos (10-24) before suffering a narrow 18-14 defeat to second-placed Toulouse Olympique.
The Knights responded emphatically last time out, coming from behind to beat Widnes Vikings 40-30 at the DCBL Stadium on Sunday.
The Play-Off chasers' short turnaround pits them with a visit to Newcastle, who have taken nine points from 22 matches this year in the Betfred Championship, leaving themselves five points adrift of safety from relegation.
Newcastle have shown plenty of fight in their battle against the drop, notching up vital wins against Keighley Cougars (18-16), Whitehaven (30-12) and Swinton Lions (25-19) in June and July.
All of those triumphs came at Kingston Park, where six of the Club's nine points have been accumulated this year.
York head to the North East boasting a strong recent record over Newcastle, winning the last seven meetings of the two sides.
The last two of those came earlier this year, though both were secured by narrow margins.
York recovered from trailing 12-4 and 18-16 to prevail 22-18 at the LNER Community Stadium in the Betfred Challenge Cup Fifth Round. Joe Brown, AJ Towse, Matty Marsh and Liam Harris were the scoresheet for the hosts.
The Knights followed that up with a similarly-tight home success in the league, coming out on top 26-22.
Towse got York off to the perfect start before Ted Chapelhow, Gideon Boafo and Mitch Clark put Newcastle in front.
Brown and Oli Field struck back for the Knights but Alex Donaghy sent Thunder into half-time leading 22-14.
Field completed his double before decisive scores from James Glover and Oli Pratt saw the home side take the two points.
York Knights make the trip to Newcastle Thunder in the Betfred Championship on Friday evening (8pm).
General Admission tickets are priced at £10 for for Adults, £8 for Concessions and £3 for Under-16s. The Knights will receive a share of revenue from any tickets through the following link online, which can be found by clicking HERE.
Knights supporters are encouraged to purchase tickets in the North East Terrace. Supporters can also purchase tickets on the gate, if they wish.
York RLFC will be running a Fans Bus to Kingston Park, with tickets priced at just £20!
To secure your place on the Fans Bus, you can do so online HERE or by heading to the Club Shop (Opening times: Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm) or by calling 01904 670880.
The pick-up points will be the LNER Community Stadium North Stand Lay-By (4.30pm) and The Bootham Tavern (4.45pm).
Please note that purchasing a place on the Fans Bus does not include your matchday ticket.
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