GARY THORNTON has put full faith in his York City Knights players ahead of tonight’s big TV game – by picking them ahead of a dual-reg quartet from Hull.

The Knights take on Barrow at Huntington Stadium (7.30pm) in a Kingstone Press Championship six-pointer being broadcast live on Premier Sports.

Thornton admits it’s a game which could have a big bearing on whether his side look towards the play-offs or end up in a relegation dogfight, but his squad selection shows he has confidence in his troops to do the business, with or without assistance from their partnership club.

Regular dual-reg players Jack Briscoe and Dean Hadley are in the 17 as expected, but The Press understands Hull also offered Super League winger Jason Crookes, full-back Jamie Shaul, second-row Liam Kent and even prop Josh Bowden, who started the season at York before being called into the Airlie Birds’ first-team ranks – with Thornton turning them down.

The Knights boss has named a provisional 20-man squad and says it is difficult enough picking a 17 given the number of players deserving of a shirt, though he has intimated that successful trialists Joe Pickets and Ryan Mallender may both keep their places, which is a particular shot in the arm for his own ranks.

“There are plenty of selection headaches and I hope the lads who are in realise that,” said Thornton. “If they don’t perform there’s someone waiting to come in.

“I’ll make decisions based on how healthy we are and how well we’ve been playing, but I’m not going to make changes for changes’ sake.

“We need to get some consistency. I will bring people in from Hull when my players aren’t playing well enough but if the York City Knights player is doing his job well, he will keep his place.

“The only way I could get another Hull player in (the second-row) is if Ryan Mallender and Joe Pickets are left out, but I don’t think they deserve to be left out. We’ve also got Ed Smith, who’s been playing well. It’s the same with the props. To fit a Hull player in, I’d have to leave one of the four out but they’re all playing well.”

Thornton has had a couple of concerns, with Jack Lee having been sent home from training on Tuesday due to illness and Ben Johnston also feeling poorly.

They were rated only as “slight doubts”, but Jack Iley is on standby if another replacement hooker is required.

Another headache is in the backs, with George Elliott declaring himself fit but going up against Dougie Flockhart, Jack Latus, Briscoe and James Ford for a place out wide.

Said Thornton: “George gets in the league’s Team of the Week and is (sponsors’) man of the match but then injury keeps him out and I’m struggling to find a place for him as I don’t think Dougie has done anything wrong, Latus and Briscoe are in fine form and James is back.

“It’s the same in the props. Luke Stenchion is back from suspension but the four props went well last time.

“Jack Aldous, Nathan Freer, Adam Sullivan are playing well and Craig Potter reacted well to being left out for two games when he came back in against Leigh.

“He carried the ball well and muscled up in defence, which is what we wanted. I don’t think it would be right to leave them out for Luke or a Hull player and that’s the decision I will stick to.”

Visitors Barrow are likely to be fired up for the occasion after their bad loss to Featherstone, but Thornton expects his men to match them for effort.

“Everyone keeps reminding me Barrow will be targeting this is a win. We’re ‘only York’, is their opinion,” he said.

“They will come full of enthusiasm. But we’re looking for our own reaction.

“We were disappointed we got beaten at their place and we lost our last game too.

“We were disappointed with some things we did at Leigh, especially in defence, and I’m expecting a big improvement.”

He added: “These are three points that could make a big difference in the long run. Our destiny is in our own hands, which is how I want to keep it.

“We have to make sure we win games we should be winning, doing our own thing properly, right and correct, practising well and putting it into action on match-days.”

Knights: from Carr, Elliott, Briscoe, Ford, Latus, Flockhart, Presley, Johnston, Brown, Freer, Lee, Aldous, Scott, Hadley, Pickets, Mallender, Brining, Smith, Sully, Potter, Iley.

Referee: Chris Leatherbarrow (St Helens).