Ryan Mallinder named as captain as York City Knights tackle Featherstone Lions in the Challenge Cup

The Knights take on amateurs Featherstone Lions in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup fourth round clash, with Mallinder, fit again after injury in pre-season, set to be named at loose-forward.

The 26-year-old will also be given the armband for the day as he goes up against his former junior club and against a bunch of mates from his home town.

Knights boss James Ford stressed this one-off switch of skipper was no slight on team captain James Haynes - especially after his superb start to the season - but rather meant as a boost for Mallinder, one of the unsung heroes of last year’s Championship One-winning side.

“Ryan has got a strong affinity with the place and a lot of his friends play for the Lions,” said Ford, who counts the Millpond Stadium outfit as his own boyhood club too, prior to his rise into the professional ranks.

“He plays with his heart on his sleeve as it is. With the energy and intensity he will bring, I thought it would rub off on the rest of the club by naming him captain for this game. We’ve already seen positives with the way he approached the review and preview sessions in training.

“It’s in no way a sleight on James Haynes, who has been outstanding, and whose leadership and form have been superb. Making him my team captain was one of my best decisions, and I spoke to him about tomorrow’s match first.”

Ford hinted there was also a bit of psychology attached to his thinking, saying: “We’ve given Ryan extra responsibility of the team and the club and, when passions are going to be high, he will need to make sure he puts the team and the club before any kind of personal battle.”

Mallinder - generally a second- row, who will be used tomorrow effectively as a third front-rower - started out in rugby league at the Lions at junior and open-age level before joining Sharlston Rovers, from whom he moved into the pro arena with York in 2013 after a successful trial.

Joked Ford: “He claims he played full-back and stand-off as a kid, which I find hard to believe.

“He’s been getting a bit of banter from the Featherstone lads as well recently.

“He’s a popular guy in both Featherstone and York but tomorrow night they will be get - ting into each other. It will be a delight to watch.”

Mallinder played nine times in the second half of the Knights’ 2013 season and 18 times last year, when he and Ed Smith formed arguably the most con - sistent back-row pairings in the division.

He began this season on the sidelines, though, after pulling a hamstring in the Probables v Possibles friendly.

Added Ford: “He was available for selection last week against Newcastle but I thought it was a game too soon after a ‘hammy’.

“I didn’t want to risk the hamstring going again and potentially lose a middle player early on in the match - which was quite ironic I guess (seeing as Luke Menzies, who was brought in on loan, hobbled off in the first half).

“Ryan was disappointed not to play and is chomping at the bit. He gives us some intensity in contact and I’m looking forward to having him back in the team.”

Tomorrow’s game will be played at Featherstone Rovers’ Big Fellas Stadium, kick off 8pm.

On-loan prop Menzies suffered a dead leg around a knee in the IPro Sport Cup defeat to Newcastle and will not feature in tomorrow’s tie.

He was in any case unlikely to be made available by parent club Salford, who would not want him to be cup-tied, and, with the Knights having no fixture the following week, he has extra time to be fit for the club’s League One opener away to Keighley on Good Friday, April 3.