YORK City Knights' future appears back in doubt after an apparent hold-up in community stadium talks over a compensation package from City of York Council.

Both parties intimated 12 days ago that a stadium agreement was finally imminent, but no announcement has been forthcoming.

The delay has also led to further talks between Rugby Football League and council chiefs.

As part of the stadium deal, the club were to receive an agreed amount of money from the project budget to cover losses from not having their own Huntington Stadium home, but it is thought the figure for 2015 is now a sticking point given they had not yet signed up to the project.

A statement released by the Knights revealed they were "urgently trying to agree interim compensation arrangements to secure the club’s financial position to the end of the season".

The homeless club have confirmed in the meantime that Sunday's League One game against Rochdale will be played at Featherstone's Post Office Road ground (3pm), where their previous home match against South Wales took place.

The Knights' statement on May 21, issued by the directors who had joined the board to take over stadium negotiations from under-fire club supremo John Guildford, said "positive news will be in the public domain very soon". A council spokesman at the time confirmed that statement was correct.

Asked why such news had not yet been forthcoming, Neil Jennings, one of those directors, said: "We are still talking to the council and are not in a position to comment at the moment."

The club later stated: "The board is only too aware of the slow progress of negotiations.

"Currently the board is urgently trying to agree interim compensation arrangements with the council to secure the club’s financial position through to the end of the season. Discussions continue on this.

"Please continue to support the club – your support is needed more than ever."

The council did not respond to requests for a comment.

An RFL spokesman said: "Our discussions with York City Knights and City of York Council are ongoing and we remain optimistic of them reaching a settlement in the best interests of all parties."

The plan is for the Knights to share the community stadium - which is to be built on the Huntington Stadium site - with York City, and in the interim play matches at City's Bootham Crescent. However, talks between Guildford and the council, which is leading the project, broke down last year and the club have remained homeless since.

They have played competitive home games at York RUFC's Clifton Park, even though that ground does not meet League One criteria, and Post Office Road.

Both Bootham Crescent and Clifton Park are currently unavailable anyway as both pitches are being reseeded, and Post Office Road, one of the nearest professional rugby league grounds, is seen as the next best option.

However, the club gave notice only today that this weekend's game would be held there.

The argument is they delayed any announcement in the hope of having "positive news" regarding stadium talks. Either way, it sparked criticism from Rochdale.

A Hornets statement said: "Both the RFL and Rochdale Hornets have tried to work with York to find a resolution but with no communication received from Knights officials the RFL have been forced to step in and book Featherstone Rovers for the fixture."

A Knights spokeswoman said it was not true that the RFL booked the ground, and an RFL spokesman said: "That statement from Rochdale is incorrect."

The Knights statement added: "Regrettably, at the moment, there is no suitable venue available within York for a professional rugby league fixture with Clifton Park and Bootham Crescent currently being unavailable.

"As such the board has been forced to look for venues outside the city.

"Even if an agreement was ready to sign with the council regarding the new community stadium, Bootham Crescent is not available for immediate use.

"We are thankful to Featherstone for coming to our assistance."

The Knights are again offering free bus travel from York for supporters, though seats must be pre-booked by phoning 01904 767404. Buses will leave Station Rise at 12.45pm and 1.15pm.

Admission to the match is £15 for adults, £12 for concessions and £5 for under-16s.

A statement on the Knights website said: "The club would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused regarding the rearrangement."