Injury-hit York City Knights on the lookout for new signings (From York Press)

Injury-hit York City Knights on the lookout for new signings

12:07pm Monday 11th March 2013 in Sport By Peter Martini, peter.martini@thepress.co.uk

KNIGHTS boss Gary Thornton has confirmed he is keen to bring new players into Huntington Stadium, possibly on loan, to get the club through “a tough time” and the busy Easter period.

This was after it was confirmed Matt Nicholson needed surgery to fix the shoulder injury that has blighted his season – even though he played through the pain yesterday, being a standout performer in the win over Workington.

Injuries in the squad meant Thornton had been unsure of his line-up until the weekend, made all the more difficult by injuries at partner club Hull restricting the number of available dual-reg players to three, in Jack Briscoe, Danny Nicklas and Dean Hadley. Briscoe also departed yesterday’s game with a neck injury at half-time, having scored two of the Knights’ five first-half tries.

Thornton said: “We’ve been hammered with injuries, added to by losing Jason Golden (to a dislocated shoulder) at Sheffield last week. Up to Thursday we weren’t sure about the 17.

“I still think we need strengthening. We’re not the biggest of squads. We were down to our last 18 fit players, and that included three from Hull.

“With loan players you know you’re going to get them for four weeks, unlike with this dual-reg on a weekly basis. It would be nice to bring in one or two for a month or so to see us through this period before we get bodies back.”

Pack ace Nicholson has a labral tear, surgery on which will sideline him for three to six months. The player rejected the chance to have an operation this week in order to play but it is not known for how much longer he can put surgery off. Thornton is leaving it up to the player to decide when to go under the knife.

Said the head coach: “He needs an operation but he’s held his hand up to play and he was outstanding, busting through left, right and centre.

“He will be a massive miss for us when he has the op. It’s his call when to do it.”

He added of the squad: “They’re a good group of players, putting their bodies on the line.

“Hopefully that (the bad luck with injuries) will change and we will get bodies back.”