Championship One Preview: York City Knights v Gateshead Thunder

York City Knights coach Gary Thornton is quick to acknowledge the task ahead of his players when they face Gateshead Thunder on Sunday.

Thornton said: “Gateshead are a club on the up. I watched their win against Oxford and they were excellent.

“Jamie Rooney is pulling the strings and their dual-reg players are starting to fire.

“Stanley Gene has made some shrewd signings, and they’re certainly a club on the rise. This could well be our toughest test of the season so far.”

Knights are aiming to bounce back from a shock defeat against Gloucestershire All Golds, but have a small squad to pick from.

Full-back Ben Reynolds has been recalled by Castleford Tigers, while centre James Morland (knee) was unable to train on Tuesday night.

Thornton said: “Hopefully James Haynes will be fit and can cover Ben, but we don’t have a fit centre at the moment. We’re down to the bare bones.”

He added: “We should have had more about us to close the game down at 16-0 up last week but we didn’t. We’re a very young squad and sometimes you get inconsistency.”

Victory for Gateshead could move them into the play-off places if other results go their way.