YORK City Knights boss James Ford is to rest half his team for tomorrow's trek to struggling Hemel Stags - but insists his selection shows respect to the expansion club and League One in general.

The Knights have begun the season with a club record six-game winning start in all competitions, four of which have come against teams considered League One title contenders.

They now face a side who have not won a single fixture since July last year, so Ford is ringing the changes - handing debuts to new recruits Matty Dale and Ross Osbourne, bringing Pat Smith and Adam Dent in for their 2016 bows and in total making eight alterations to the team that won at Rochdale in the iPro Cup last week.

But he says his selection is based partly on fitness data and stresses this line-up is far from a weakened team.

"In my opinion it's a mark of respect for Hemel Stags and the competition," said Ford, perhaps pre-empting any suggestion he might be taking this game lightly.

"We've got some tired players, some sore players with minor injuries, and the data the conditioning team collate is telling us it's the right time to make a few changes.

"I've got a good squad and as coach you have to use that squad.

"I have no qualms in rotating the team. The blokes coming in are good players while the blokes left out have got one or two issues - be it fatigue or bumps and bruises - and at this moment it's the best thing to do.

"We will go down to Hemel with a very good team who are fresh and who will be looking to further enhance our reputation.

"We're definitely not taking it lightly.

"Hemel finished fifth in this competition a couple of years ago and nearly beat us at home. We're not underestimating them in the slightest.

"Taking a fatigued, tired, bumped and bruised team down there would be underestimating them, but we're taking a fresh, eager team who want to show they should be playing every week, and that's a mark of respect."

Ford will field a new-look back line, with only Ben Dent - who scored twice on his 2016 bow last week - keeping his place.

Brother Adam Dent starts on the opposite wing, Tyler Craig comes in for his second outing of the year and on-loan Conor Bower is also recalled at centre. The in-form Richard Wilkinson returns at full-back after injury sidelined him at Rochdale.

James Morland, impressive last week, old head Austin Buchanan, who has now played three times since returning from an off-season hernia operation, and Brad Hey are left out, as is Brett Turner - despite his stunning try double last week.

There are four changes in the pack, too, as captain Jack Aldous gets a welcome rest after his big minutes up top so far, while Ryan Mallinder is sidelined with the ankle injury suffered at Spotland, hooker Harry Carter has a breather after his inspired start to the season and Jack Anderson also steps aside after his encouraging debut.

Dale, a former Championship winner with Featherstone who is back in the game after a knee reconstruction, and strapping teenager Osbourne, signed on loan from Hull, come in for debuts alongside fit-again Brett Waller and 2015 skipper Smith, who takes Carter's sot after having a fortnight back in training after returning home from Germany.

Only the half-back pairing of Jonny Presley and Danny Nicklas is unaltered.

Hemel have lost all four of their outings so far this term including a 74-0 hammering by Toulouse in the league - which has left them bottom of the early table on points-difference - and a 12-6 reverse to amateurs Kells in the Challenge Cup.

But Ford suggested the Stags will pose different kinds of tests to the ones the Knights have overcome in recent weeks - avoiding a slip-up being the main one.

"Hemel have got some good individuals," he said. "Reece Rance at full-back is athletic and quick and causes problems and they have a few middles who are a handful.

"They also have some unorthodox plays on the edges and that will be a challenge.

"We'll have to make sure our concentration is how it needs to be and our physicality is where it needs to be, and that we keep our discipline in terms of sticking to the plan."

Hemel: from Spearing, Petelo, Toms, Wilby, Rance, Stead, Isles, Stewart, Sharratt, Coker, Green, Swindells, Bowdich, O'Connor, Brough, Ross, Paterson, Booth, O'Callaghan.

Knights (probable): Wilkinson, B Dent, Craig, Bower, A Dent, Nicklas, Presley, Waller, Brining, Spiers, E Smith, Tonks, Emmett. Subs: P Smith, Dale, Crowther, Osbourne. Stand-by: Anderson, Morland.