Leopards finally subdue eager Knights
STEPHEN IBBETSON LNER Community Stadium, Sunday
YORK KNIGHTS 14
LEIGH LEOPARDS 34
Tom Amone runs into James Cunningham and Will Jubb
LEIGH LEOPARDS made it into the Challenge Cup semifinals as expected - but nothing else about this game followed the script.
This ought to have been nothing other than a rout, the team third in Super League and enjoying an eight-match winning run playing the side fourthfrom-bottom in the Championship.
Throw in the fact that Leigh beat York 100-4 and 70-10 at the back end of last year’s second-tier campaign, and you feared an almighty mismatch.
The fact that this was anything but is down to two main factors - the Knights’ extraordinary effort, each individual giving absolutely everything, and the Leopards’ best efforts at the beginning to make it as difficult for themselves as possible, starting with Kai O’Donnell’s fifth-minute red card.