Australian Dave Woods is the man with the Midas touch after taking a third English rugby league club in six years to promotion.

Woods, who took Castleford into Super League in 2005 and got Gateshead promoted from League Two in 2008, completed the hat-trick with York in Sunday's Co-operative Championship One playoff final.

Just three months after succeeding James Ratcliffe as coach, Woods masterminded York's 25-4 final win over Oldham.

The City Knights finished third in the table, 13 points adrift of second-placed Oldham, but dominated the final at Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium from start to finish to claim an emphatic victory.

Former Sheffield, London Broncos, Huddersfield and Hull five-eighth Chris Thorman was the architect of York's success, scoring one of their four tries and kicking two conversions and a drop goal.

Wayne Reittie, James Haynes and Steve Lewis got the Knights' other tries and Lee Waterman kicked two goals while Mick Fogerty scored Oldham's solitary points with a 19th-minute try that briefly brought them level at 4-4.

York's victory enabled captain Jordan Ross to bow out on a high as he prepares for a new life Down Under.

While the Knights will join champions Hunslet in the Championship in 2011, Oldham were condemned to another season in the lower division after suffering a fourth play-off final defeat in as many years.

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