CLIFTON Park could potentially come to York City Knights' rescue - staging matches as a temporary fall-back option if the community stadium saga rumbles on.

The Knights trained at York RUFC's facility there for the first time last week and such was the mutual appreciation that they are now to continue having sessions there every Wednesday as part of their pre-season preparations.

Clifton Park chiefs are also already looking into staging some Knights reserves matches - and, while the ground does not meet League One requirements, they say first-team games there may yet be a possibility if the rugby league club does not get back into the community stadium project.

Clifton Park, in Shipton Road, houses York Sports Club (YSC), which comprises York RUFC, York Cricket Club, York Squash Club and York Tennis Club.

YSC chairman Nick Elliot, who is also on York RUFC's committee, said: "We've agreed Wednesday nights for the Knights' first team, and we're looking into helping them with reserve-team games."

When asked if first-team games were a possibility, Elliot said: "There would be a few hurdles to overcome, but it could be something we could look at.

"People are exploring the possibility in the short-term of hosting reserves games and perhaps we could look at early-season first-team games if the Knights have no other option.

"We're just looking at training and reserve fixtures before we get that far. Discussions about league matches would be in the future."

Rugby Football League regulations state League One clubs must have seating for at least 500 so, unless the Knights get special dispensation, a stand would have to be put up, and there is little room between the rugby and cricket pitches, even for a temporary structure.

Another "hurdle" would be probable fixtures clashes with the cricket team who play on Saturdays and some Sundays during the summer, while the arena would also have to be fenced off with turnstiles installed.

Furthermore, any Knights move to Clifton Park would again cut the club's income streams and bring further scrutiny to the council's pledge that the club would financially "be made no worse off" by the community stadium project.

The plan had been for the Knights - whose lease of Huntington Stadium was ended so it could be redeveloped - to share York City's Bootham Crescent ground before both clubs moved into the new area, but a major fall-out saw City of York Council, which is driving the scheme, end all contact with Knights chairman John Guildford.

It is hoped a new board of directors will be able to get that plan back on track but, as things stand, the club have no home or training base, in turn bringing into question the viability of the stadium scheme if in the long-term only the football club moved into the new arena.

Said Elliot: "I don't want to get into the politics around it all. We're just one sports club in York trying to help out another sports club in York, albeit a semi-professional one. If we can help, we will.

"I think a ground (for League One) needs to be at least a 500-seater and we're not in that league - the stand is nowhere near big enough. That's a discussion the Knights would have to have with the RFL.

"A temporary stand might be a possibility but it would impinge on the cricket field. There are some areas we could look at but we've not explored it yet. We're looking at other things first before it comes to that."

Knights head coach James Ford praised the Clifton Park facility after their first training session there and said the staff "were really helpful and made us really welcome".

Elliot in turn said Ford's men were "a great set of lads".

He joked: "They came in and tidied up after themselves - which is something our lads don't do.

"One drawback is they're all professional athletes so we didn't get any beer sold."