YORK City Knights' first game at Bootham Crescent is set to be against Super League big-guns Hull FC.

The match has been pencilled in for Sunday, January 11, and is the first confirmed friendly of pre-season for the Knights as they begin a new era at York City's ground under new head coach James Ford.

A game against Castleford, who lit up Super League this year, is also in the pipeline should the clubs continue their dual-registration partnership agreement - which will be discussed at a meeting next week - while the annual charity match against a York Select XIII is also in the offing as the Knights gear up for their 2015 season, which begins on March 8 with the Challenge Cup third round.

Then follows ties in the new League Cup, with the rebranded League One campaign beginning on April 3.

Ford is already "really excited" by the prospect of playing at Bootham Crescent and reckons Hull's decent travelling support should make for a good day all round. "It will be great to play a team like Hull to start our time at Bootham Crescent," he said.

"The amount of support they will be bring will be good, and our players will be excited to play at Bootham Crescent and against a Super League team. They will want to show straight away that we're a good team with a good bunch of individuals."

Ford's new-look squad will begin pre-season on Saturday, November 15, with a fitness and speed testing session at their York St John University sports centre training base on Haxby Road. Training will then get into full swing with three sessions a week.

Huntington Stadium is yet to be closed down ahead of its demolition to make way for a new shared community stadium, but the Knights' 25-year tenure of it has ended and no sessions will be held there.

A weekend at an Army training camp will be thrown in at some point over the winter, with the aim of improving players' composure at pressure moments - a fault Ford pinpointed following the Championship One winners' exit in the promotion play-offs this year.

Ford said: "We've left it a bit later to get started this year because our season ran a bit longer (into the play-offs) than it has done in my previous years at York, and I want my players to come back fully refreshed with immense enthusiasm, bouncing and full of energy for that first session.

"The Army camp should be good. I want the players to go through adversity and come out the other side. Some of pre-season should be tailored towards staying controlled and focused and making good decisions when we're in adversity.

"I thought that was a factor that went against us last season when we lost a bit of composure and fell away from the goals we were trying to achieve."