York City Knights chief executive Steve Ferres and Leeds Rhinos counterpart Gary Hetherington have rubbished rumours that the Knights are to become a feeder club to their Super League neighbours.

Those rumours resurfaced on Sunday when Hetherington was seen at Huntington Stadium watching York beat Barrow in the National League Division Two clash.

They were augmented when Barrow director Ken Holmes, in an after-match speech in the Huntington Stadium bar, tantalisingly said he was aware of exciting developments for York RL in the next year, without expounding any further information.

However, Holmes today told the Evening Press he was merely referring to the potential ground improvements at Huntington Stadium should York City FC move to Monks Cross, while both Ferres and Hetherington refused to give any credence to the feeder club hearsay.

Ferres said: "Gary Hetherington has a house in York and came to the game, there's nothing more to it than that. I can categorically state there is nothing in it."

Rumours of a feeder club first came about even before the Knights were admitted to the Rugby Football League last season.

Hetherington, a former York player, who had worked with old school friend Ferres at Sheffield Eagles, said then that he would be keen to help out York RL in its bid to be resurrected. Leeds Rhinos also pledged support to a York RL community development scheme.

However, he dismissed the feeder club rumours back then, saying any 'feeding' would be done by the Super League outfits to assist smaller clubs, and today he described the hearsay as 'tittle-tattle', saying he goes to hundreds of games a year and was only there to see how York were doing.

He told the Evening Press: "I was in York for the weekend. I'm a good friend of Steve Ferres and the York club generally. It's a club I've got a lot of affection for.

"I was keen to see them do well and it was a good atmosphere at the game, and I'm delighted to see their progress."

Knights chairman Roger Dixon also laughed off the resurfaced rumours.

"If I have any sort of finger on the pulse at the club, I can categorically say that there is no foundation in these rumours whatsoever," he said.

Updated: 11:17 Saturday, August 16, 2003