James Ford: There’s no pressure on us whatsoever
York City Knights face Whitehaven this weekend needing just a point in order to be crowned League One Champions.
The Knights boss, James Ford, has stated that his side are under no pressure – despite so much hanging in the balance.
He told the York Press: “There’s no pressure on us whatsoever.
“We’re focusing on improving and getting our prep right and, when the game comes, getting focused on the little things that have a big influence on a performance and on the outcome.
“I’ve not thought about anything other than Sunday’s game.
“I’ve had a look at Whitehaven’s last few games and planned our training around that.
“That’s as far as we’re looking – getting our preparation right this week.
“If you prepare right, it generally leads to a good performance. That’s our focus.”
Whitehaven are only one of two sides to have beaten York this year, so will certainly fancy their chances against the table toppers.
They also came out on top in a dramatic finale last year, which leads many to believe York owe them one – Ford disagrees.
“It was a fantastic game last year.
“It would have been marvellous to overcome them and challenge for promotion, especially bearing in mind where we started the season and how we started.
“It was not to be and Whitehaven were better on the day.
“But sometimes you learn and grow from a negative more so than from something positive.
“We’ve taken a lot from that as a group and as a club.
“We’re just going to focus on getting our preparation right and making sure our performance is good as it can be.”
Ford however, doesn’t believe in the bad omens.
“As I’ve said numerous times, I don’t believe in that kind of nonsense.
“Whitehaven were better than us at their place this year.
“We did some daft things and ended up on the wrong end of a 14-4 penalty count, and that added to the challenge which we weren’t quite good enough to overcome.
“This is a completely different game.”
The game that has been branded as ‘The Decider’ for York, will kick off on Sunday at 15:00.
