A "LIGHTNING quick" player, a hard hitter and an "outstanding athlete" - the latest trio to put pen to paper for James Ford at York City Knights.

The head coach has persuaded Jonny Presley and Ryan Mallinder to be part of his revolution at Bootham Crescent, while he has also brought in former Huddersfield and England academy second-row Peter Aspinall.

In scrum-half Presley, who made 11 appearances last season and scored nine tries, Ford sees a nurturing influence for his young squad and an experienced player who could step up to coaching.

Mallinder, meanwhile, provides the hard-hitting physicality the man who has taken over from Gary Thornton is striving to see at the heart of his strategy.

"Jonny is lightning quick," Ford said of the 30-year-old. "He is a superb all round athlete. He is a very composed and calm player and he brings a great degree of experience and control to our work.

"Maybe we missed some of that control and composure at the back end of the season. He is a try scorer and he will be a massive use to us. He takes the young blokes and puts his point across in a way that is really appropriate and where everyone can learn from it.

"He will ask questions and he gets the younger blokes to offer their opinions. He has a really mature approach to helping young players develop. Down the track, he is going to be a very good rugby league coach. He is very unselfish."

On Mallinder, who scored seven tries from second row in 20 matches, Ford added: "What Ryan brings us is a whole different degree of physicality. He is a big, strong, tough lad and fits into my philosophy.

"When Ryan hits you, you stay hit. I have played with some tough players and Ryan is one of the toughest. With the other players around him, we are certainly going to be uncompromising to play against."

Aspinall, meanwhile, played 12 times for Sheffield in the Championship last season while on loan from Huddersfield, and he brings Ford untapped potential.

He explained: "He will be an outstanding athlete. He is big, tall and very quick. His energy is immense. I saw him play in the academy for Huddersfield and he was devastating.

"Some players need a bit more time to adjust to playing in open age and when we get Pete confident in the environment and himself we will have got a superb player."