YORK City Knights have no fewer than three of the four nominees for the Kingstone Press Championship One Player of the Year award.

Two York aces have also been shortlisted for the Young Player of the Year accolade, while boss Gary Thornton is in the running for the Coach of the Year prize - though he says he would swap any personal accolade for promotion.

The three players up for the top gong are skipper Jack Lee and half-backs Pat Smith and Ben Reynolds, the latter having played the full season at York on dual-registration from Castleford.

Reynolds is also a nominee for the Young Player of the Year, alongside winger James Saltonstall, who has spent most of the season on loan at Huntington Stadium from Warrington.

Thornton says so many nominations reflects not only those individuals' form but the season the Knights have had "as a group". But, he added, the biggest prize would be to beat Hunslet in next Sunday's play-off semi-final and then turn over Oldham in the Grand Final.

"It's an honour to be nominated but, if I'm honest, I would rather give up my nomination if it meant winning promotion," said Thornton, whose troops' ten-match winning run ended on Sunday in their qualifying semi-final against Oldham.

"It's always flattering to get nominations. I'm honoured and delighted to be put forward - it shows we as a group have been recognised by our peers for the work we've done.

"The fact we have four players in the running for individual awards reflects the season we've had. When you finish top and as champions, you're always likely to get players nominated for awards.

"Our peers and other coaches have recognised their talents and they very much deserve to be nominated. They've been excellent all year. But for me it is largely down to the fact we've done it as a group and they've all played their part."

Asked who he thought would win, he added: "They've all got a good call for it."

Lee, Reynolds and Smith are shortlisted alongside Gateshead captain Jason Payne.

Thornton goes up against Stanley Gene, who took Gateshead into the play-offs in his debut season as head coach, Mike Grady, for his off-the-field work at lowly South Wales Scorpions, and Troy Perkins, whose Hemel Stags side finished highest of all the expansion clubs.

In the Young Player of the Year category, Reynolds and Saltonstall are up against Gateshead's dual-reg Hull KR half-back Matty Beharrell, South Wales' Connor Farrer and Oldham winger Mo Agoro.

In the Championship, former Hull and Hull KR half-back Paul Cooke could be set for an impressive double after being nominated for both Coach of the Year and Player of the Year following a fine season at Doncaster.

He is joined in the Coach of the Year shortlist by Paul Rowley of runaway league leaders Leigh, Glenn Morrison, who has taken Dewsbury one step from the Grand Final, and Phil Veivers of Workington Town.

The other Player of the year nominees are former Knights half-back Anthony Thackeray, of Dewsbury, and Martyn Ridyard, who this year reached 1,000 points for home-town club Leigh.

The Championship Young Player of the Year will be chosen from Whitehaven’s Carl Foster, Leigh's Ryan Brierley and Workington’s Liam McAvoy.

The awards will be handed out at a gala dinner in Manchester next Tuesday.