YORK City Knights have continued their shopping spree by signing Dewsbury duo Danny Brough and Leigh Deakin.

Stand-off Adam Thaler, who had been on loan at York from Castleford Tigers, has gone the other way as part of the deal, which also involves the Knights paying an undisclosed fee to the Rams.

The busy week of transfer activity at Huntington Stadium has already seen former Wakefield top-scorer Neil Law join the Knights' crusade, and the Press believes the revolving door at the club is likely to keep spinning.

Former York Wasps favourite Deakin has been on the Knights' shopping list for several weeks, but the move to snap up highly-rated youngster Brough came out of the blue.

Like with Law, York beat off a number of Division One clubs to get him after he was made available by the Rams, while the Press believes Super League side Widnes Vikings were also tracking him.

The 20-year-old scrum-half or stand-off - who played twice against the Knights in the Arriva Trains Cup, scoring a try and four goals in the second clash - has signed for two seasons and is likely to strike up a half-back partnership with another former Dewsbury star, Scott Rhodes.

Knights chief executive Steve Ferres confirmed the deal for Brough was done quickly. He said: "I signed him as a 16-year-old at Wakefield and I know him from there. He was on the verge of the first-team before he moved and when he came on the market a couple of weeks ago we were interested. The situation changed yesterday in terms of the Adam Thaler involvement and the deal was all done in one day.

"We're highly delighted to get him. He's still only 20 and has got an excellent kicking game. There were numerous clubs chasing him. He's a quality youngster and should hopefully develop a successful partnership with Scott Rhodes.

"We feel he will probably give us more options than Adam Thaler and we believe we've done the right thing."

Deakin, now 30, returns for a fourth spell at York. A former Leeds youngster, he scored 36 tries in 44 games for the Wasps between 1993 and 1995, after which he signed for Hull before returning to Huntington Stadium in 1998, notching 15 touchdowns that year to be the league's joint-top try-scorer, and 14 in 1999, before injuries hampered his career.

He switched from the wing to the second-row during the Wasps' ill-fated final season last year, and off the field was at the forefront of the players' support for the save York RL campaign, only joining the Rams after it was confirmed the Wasps would not return to action.

A shoulder injury has hampered his time at Ram Stadium but he has recently returned to full-contact training.

Ferres said: "He is happy to come back and probably finish off his career at his home-town club and we're delighted to have him.

"He knows a place in the side is not guaranteed but he will put pressure on other players and I'm sure he will be fighting for a place."

Both players are available for Sunday's National League Two match at home to London Skolars.

Updated: 11:36 Wednesday, April 30, 2003