YORK City Knights have received another major back-row blow ahead of Sunday's vital Super 8s visit of arch-rivals Hunslet, with confirmation Matty Dale is sidelined for the season.

The 29-year-old former Championship winner with Featherstone was just finding form after niggling injuries when he was helped off against Barrow a fortnight ago with knee ligament damage.

He has now been told he needs surgery and follows fellow back-rowers Ryan Mallinder and Ross Divorty in being ruled out long-term.

Said head coach James Ford: "It's a massive blow. We put a lot of work into Matty to get him fit and firing for the Super 8s and we saw a really promising performance in Toulouse.

"I was looking forward to having someone of his experience and quality in the 17 coming into these big games. All the teams are pretty equal and having people like that in your side would've been a boost."

Meanwhile, Ford faced a key selection headache at hooker this weekend as the Knights, having ended their four-match losing run at second-placed Rochdale last week, seek to follow up against their injury-hit arch-rivals as the League One play-off race hots up.

The 17 at Spotland have all kept their places in the 19-man squad, but Harry Carter returns from injury to leave Ford wondering whether to recall his former reserves prodigy or keep top-scorer Kriss Brining and former captain Pat Smith interchanging the pivotal role.

"For me, he's been one of our best performers this season," said Ford of Carter. "Defensively he lifts the team, he's electric around dummy-half and he's starting to become the player I envisaged.

"But Pat Smith probably had his best game for a while last week. He was defensively aggressive and very tidy in his service.

"Kriss Brining had a mixed game - he did some things other people in this league can't do, but he made a couple of mistakes. He needs to tidy up one or two things, but he's a match-winner.

"It'll be a tough call."

Micky Learmonth, who made his seasonal bow after injury, keeps his place with Mark Applegarth still sidelined with a knee problem.

The Knights have won both previous matches against Hunslet this term following the Hawks' relegation.

But Ford said: "They'll be desperate to beat us. There's already a big rivalry and they won't want it to be 3-0. We know we'll have to meet fire with fire."

Hunslet are down in seventh after defeats to Barrow and Doncaster but are only three points off York in fourth and two off the top five.

Said Ford: "They've got talented players who've played at a high level.

"When they combine they're a real handful and we're expecting a really physical game where we'll have to concentrate for the 80 minutes."

Hawks travel with their last 19 fit players after captain Simon Brown, the ex-Knights half-back, and Lewis Reed were ruled out, Marcus Elliott and Danny Thomas coming in.

Boss Matt Bramald said: “It’s a vital game for us, one we really need to get something out of."

Knights: from Haynes, Saxton, Craig, Westerman, Buchanan, Presley, Nicklas, Spiers, P Smith, Carter, Aldous, E Smith, Tonks, Emmett, Brining, A Smith, Waller, Learmonth, Hey.

Hunslet: from Ansell, Barnett, Carbutt, Casey, Coventry, Elliot, Flanagan, Haley, K Johnson, Kenga, Lee, Milburn, Mvududu, Normington, Robinson, Sanderson, Thomas, Watson, Williams.

* HUNSLET Hawks are to officially drop the Hawks suffix from their name following a vote of supporters.