BOSS James Ford has backed prop star Brad Nicholson to overcome second season syndrome as he gears up for 2016.

Nicholson was arguably the find of the season for York City Knights last year after signing from Featherstone Rovers as a relative unknown, recognised mainly for being former Knight Matt Nicholson's younger brother.

He went on to play 23 times for the club at prop or loose-forward, notching eight tries to boot - more than any other prop - and earning a host of rave reviews.

Having now overcome the thigh strain that would have ruled him out of the scheduled 2016 opener against Hull ten days ago, he will get chance to kick-start his second year at the club tomorrow night having been named in the squad that takes on his former club in a Post Office Road friendly (7.30pm).

Asked if this year was likely to be tougher for the 20-year-old now that expectations are higher and opponents are more aware of him, head coach Ford said: "People will expect more - me, his team-mates and Brad himself.

"We know he's got potential, and that's not only as regards how he plays but also how he conducts himself and how he trains.

"But he's had his review and he knows how we think he can improve, and I'm excited to see him kick on.

"Will opponents watch out for him more? We have a number of good players at prop and if they (opponents) focus too much on one player, then others like Brett Waller, Jack Aldous or Mark Applegarth will benefit and excel.

"It does not matter to me who benefits most or who is the most outstanding as long as the team succeeds, and that's the philosophy throughout the club."

Nicholson injured his thigh over a month ago while doing weights in the gym away from the club - much to Ford's chagrin. The head coach was loathe to criticise the youngster too much for doing extra work but said he had to "manage his training loads a bit better".

On his impending return to action, Ford said: "Brad's been training with the team a couple of weeks now. We wanted to make sure he was fit enough to play, not just fit enough to train, and he's worked really hard on areas we've asked him to work on.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him continue to grow.

"He came to us last year from Featherstone and I'm sure he will be keen to demonstrate how much he has improved in the last season.

"He took time to come round to our way of doing things but, once he got his head round how I expect things to be done, we saw him improve out of sight.

"There is more improvement in him, and the key to that is Brad himself.

"We can take him to a certain level but, like any player, they need to take ownership of their own development and make sure they're doing the right things consistently at the club and away from the club.

"He's being doing that and you can see it. His body has changed dramatically, and he's stronger and faster. I'm looking forward to helping him reach new levels."

Ford is set to name a similar squad tomorrow to that which would have taken on Hull at New Year had that Bootham Crescent encounter not fallen foul of the weather.

However, hooker Kriss Brining, who would have missed that outing as he was in America with family, is back and will be involved.

Jordan Grayston has since left the club, while trialist Jack Anderson also misses out tomorrow due to a minor shoulder problem.