Paul Vaughan completed his 13-year professional career in fitting style, kicking a drop-goal in York Knights' 35-16 win over Bradford Bulls to close the season. It was a result that confirmed York's 10th-placed finish in their first Super League campaign and left Bradford bottom after another difficult year.
The match at the end of the regular season carried plenty of milestones as well as the farewell to Vaughan. Ben Jones-Bishop made his 400th career appearance, Paul McShane reached his 350th Super League appearance, and Vaughan himself announced his retirement this week before ending the night with the final scoring touch.
York responded after an early setback
Bradford started brightly enough to go ahead, but the game turned after Scott Galeano was sin-binned early for a tip-tackle. York levelled the contest and then moved ahead before half-time, building the sort of control that mattered in a match both teams needed to finish properly.
That was the key theme for York all night. Once they settled, they had enough composure and enough experience in the spine and pack to pull away and make sure the first Super League season ended with a win.
A farewell and a finish with meaning
Vaughan's drop-goal was a neat final act from a prop whose contribution was already secure before the ball left his boot. For a player making his final professional appearance, it was a moment that brought the evening together: a milestone game, a season-ending win, and a clear sign-off on a long career.
For Bradford, the result underlined how hard the season has been. They were back in Super League for the first time since 2014, but after seven league wins from 27 matches they finished last, unable to build enough momentum to escape the bottom of the table.
York, by contrast, can look back on a debut Super League season that ended with a solid placing and a memorable send-off for one of their senior figures. In that sense, the scoreline mattered well beyond the final whistle.
