YORK City Knights will travel to bogey team Barrow on Sunday with a depleted team - but boss James Ford insists they will still be going all out for victory.

The Knights will be without playmakers Liam Harris and Harry Tyson-Wilson, veteran hooker Andy Ellis - a Championship Player of the Year in his spell with tomorrow's opponents - and James Haynes, in addition to the long-term absentees.

And his team selection, allied to the fact the Knights already have a terrible record at Craven Park, could suggest Ford is targeting future matches, rather than this one, for the points needed to secure a play-off place in Kingstone Press League One.

But the head coach said: "I can see where that question comes from in terms of looking at games around the corner - but, no, we're taking it one game at a time and giving ourselves the best opportunity as we can to win each one.

"We're aware that two wins (from the four remaining Super 8s games) will most likely put us in the five (the play-off places) but we would rather get those wins sooner rather than later.

"We will have a real crack at Barrow and hopefully bring back the points."

Ford has made five changes in personnel to the team that beat Workington Town at Bootham Crescent last week, plus a couple of positional switches.

Ben Dent, who last week played for the first time since the Challenge Cup defeat to Barrow in April, will move from wing to full-back in Harris' stead, with Dee Foggin-Johnston, in excellent form before injury, making a welcome return to retake his berth out wide.

On loan Hull KR centre Jake Butler-Fleming is fit to return at centre in place of Haynes.

Probably the more notable alterations see veteran Jonny Presley replace Tyson-Wilson at half-back, while centre Adam Swift, whose sole first-team appearance came in the match at Toronto, comes onto the bench in place of Ellis. This means Will Jubb is pencilled in for another 80-minute stint at hooker.

In one more change, Chris Siddons is dropped and Ronan Dixon returns to the pack.

Dangerman Harris played with a "slight knock" last week but is not being risked this time, while Ellis is unavailable. Tyson-Wilson (ankle) and Haynes (neck) suffered injury last week.

On bringing assistant-coach Presley back into the line-up, Ford said: "Jonny has been training well and I have trust in him as a player. His experience and game management will be really important to us. He's 33 but he's got a lot of football still in him if he wants to play."

On recalling Swift into the 17, Ford said: "He's trained to an exceptional level. He was unlucky to lose his place after the Toronto (away) game but he knuckled down and he deserves another opportunity.

"He's someone I believe in - he could become a very good rugby league player.

"It will be a tough ask for him away at Barrow but what better place to show your mental skill set than in an environment like that."

Barrow boss Paul Crarey is likely to make two changes to the side that hung on for victory at Newcastle last week, a result which confirmed the second-placed team's play-off place with four games to spare.

Luke Cresswell, fit again after two months out with a broken hand, will start at full-back in place of Ryan Fieldhouse who is off getting married, while Brad Crellin will likely go into the pack for Andy Dawson, who suffered a head injury on Tyneside.

Among others missing for York are full-back Ash Robson, who is banned for four remaining games of the Super 8s, captain Ed Smith, whose season is feared over due to his knee injury, veteran winger Tommy Saxton, on-loan back-rower Zeus Silk, and hooker Harry Carter, who is back in training but not yet fit enough to play.

Barrow (probable): Cresswell, Toal, Hulme, Harper, Carter, Dallimore, Charnock, Bullock, Ashall, Wilkes, Stack, Toal, Aspinwall. Subs from: Mossop, Duerden, Crellin, Tom Walker, Morrow, Abram.

Knights (probable): Dent, Foggin-Johnston, Hey, Butler-Fleming, Morrison, C Robinson, Presley, Moran, Jubb, Osborne, Batchelor, Cox, Spears. Subs: Swift, A Robinson, Dixon, Porter. Stand-by: Mallinder, Siddons.