Ex-Knight Ryan McDonald to return with Crusaders (From York Press)

Ex-Knight Ryan McDonald to return with Crusaders

9:39am Saturday 12th January 2013 in Sport By Peter Martini, peter.martini@thepress.co.uk

FORMER York City Knights cult hero Ryan McDonald is set to return to Huntington Stadium tomorrow as part of a new-look North Wales Crusaders outfit.

The 34-year-old is one of several new recruits to the Racecourse Ground, along with a posse from Rochdale and, in a return to the Welsh outfit, former Great Britain international Stuart Reardon – who is the first player to turn out for the current Championship One team as well as the old Super League club.

Cumbrian prop McDonald arrived at York ahead of the 2007 campaignwith a reputation as a bit of a wildcard and played 17 times off the bench that year, earning three yellow cards – his first memorably just moments after entering the fray against former club Halifax. He has also played for Bramley, Dewsbury, Widnes, Workington and Whitehaven.

Reardon, though, is the Crusaders’ most notable recruit of the winter, returning to Wales after a stint in France.

The 31-year-old back, who came through Bradford’s youth system, lifted the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match in the Bulls’ Super League Grand Final triumph over Wigan in 2003 and won five GB caps in 2004.

He also played in the full-time arena with Salford and Warrington before joining Crusaders in 2011.

Among the signings from Championship One rivals Rochdale are Steve McDermott, Adam Bowman, Phil Braddish and Gary Middlehurst, who will don the shirt for the first time after he completed a five-match ban – picked up after a mass brawl in last season’s Rochdale versus South Wales match – in Crusaders’ Christmas friendly loss to Swinton.