In the 2022 rugby league season York City Knights competed in the 2022 RFL Championship and the 2022 Challenge Cup. At the start of the season the club was taken over by Clint Goodchild who became the new chairman. York had a strong first half of the season which included a run of seven wins in the league that helped them finish in sixth place to qualify for the play-offs despite winning only five of their final 11 games. They lost in the semi-finals to Leigh Centurions who earlier in the season inflicted a club record 100–4 defeat on York. In the Challenge Cup York reached the fifth round. It was the final season that the team played as York City Knights after which the club was renamed York RLFC and the team became the Knights.
Season review
Pre-season
In November 2021, James Ford signed a new contract extending his contract as head coach until the end of the 2024 season.[1]Brett Delaney was appointed as assistant coach, but left in July to join Hull KR.[2][3] Several players retired at the end of the 2021 season including Tim Spears, who had been at York since the 2017 season,[4] and the pre-season saw numerous player transfers followed by the departure of Jon Flatman as chairman when the club came under the new ownership of Clint Goodchild in January 2022.[5][6][7]
2022 Season
York began the season on 31 January with a Monday night fixture against Featherstone Rovers in which York lost 30–12.[8] In February, York won against Dewsbury Rams[9] and Batley Bulldogs[10] before losing to Leigh Centurions,[11]Jack Logan, who had signed at the start of the season, announced his retirement from the game,[12] and York defeated Newcastle Thunder 42–13 in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup.[13] At the start of March, York moved to fifth in the league with a 26–24 win over London Broncos,[14] but were knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Whitehaven a week later.[15][16] However, the women's team continued their Challenge Cup campaign with a double-header played with York's next league game; a 32–6 win over Widnes Vikings in which Levi Edwards made his debut for York and scored his first try for the club.[17][18] His second came on 3 April as York won 44–18 away to Workington Town in what was also the final game for Kristian Brining who announced his retirement a few weeks later.[19][20]
York recorded home wins over Newcastle[21] and Whitehaven in April, and started May by defeating Barrow Raiders[22] and winning 20–6 at Bradford Bulls. The run of seven successive league wins, which had taken York up to third in the table, was ended the following week with a 40–24 loss to Halifax Panthers.[23][24] New signing Bailey Antrobus made his debut in the game and scored his first try for York the following week in a 34–14 win at Sheffield Eagles.[25][26] York continued to be successful throughout June with a closely fought 36–34 victory over London,[27] followed by away wins at Widnes and Whitehaven. The Whitehaven game was the first ever victory for the City Knights at the Recreation Ground and the first by a York team since 1992.[15][28][29] This run of four wins was followed by matches against Barrow, Halifax, Batley and Featherstone, all of whom finished above York in the league table. At the end of July, York defeated Newcastle at the Championship Summer Bash to end a run of four losses,[30][31] but three weeks later suffered a club record 100–4 loss at Leigh.[32] A run of three wins at the end of the season, including a 74–12 victory over Workington meant that York finished their Championship campaign in sixth place.[5][33][34]
In the play-offs, York won 26–24 at Halifax to reach the semi-finals,[35] where their season was ended by a 70–10 loss to Leigh.[36] At the Championship Awards York's AJ Towse was a nominee for the Young Player of the Year.[37]
Post-season
In October 2022, James Ford resigned from his role as head coach to become assistant coach at Wakefield Trinity.[38][39] On 14 October it was announced that the club had been renamed York RLFC and that the men's team would be rebranded as the Knights.[40]
