YORK City Knights will have no fewer than 15 new faces on show when they go to Featherstone Rovers tomorrow for Ian Hardman's testimonial (3pm).

The match is York's first outing of 2017, and the first under new ownership, with the new start at the club being mirrored by a new-look outfit on the pitch.

Boss James Ford admits it will take time for them to gel, and that they face a tough task on their York bows.

"It will be difficult - Featherstone are a top-end Championship team and have invested heavily, and they're three games in," he said.

"We'll have 11 new players in our starting 13 and we're a couple of weeks behind in our preparations, but this will help us move forward.

"We've had an immense turnover of players and it will take time to work out our best combinations and for those combinations to gel, but that will come."

Making their bows are full-back Ash Robson, centres Adam Swift and Tommy Brierley, winger David Foggin-Johnston, half-back Danny Sowerby, and packmen Bobby Tyson-Wilson, Chris Siddons, Joe Batchelor, Tim Spears and Ronan Dixon.

Trialists Joe Porter, Matty Downes and Josh Kittrick are also in line for run-outs.

Nev Morrison and Harry Tyson-Wilson are also classed as new boys, the former back after a year in Australia, and the latter now on permanent terms after a three-game loan stint last summer.

Ford added: "We'll be put under pressure and we'll see how the players react.

"We've worked on half of the things we'll use in the season - we want to cover everything in depth rather than skim over things sparingly - and I'll be looking for the boys to be solid in those areas.

"I expect all my teams to have bags of energy and if we tick those boxes we'll give Featherstone a test."

Pack star Adam Robinson is just back from honeymoon so sits the game out along with Adam Dent (back), Ben Dent (unavailable) and Tommy Saxton and Liam Thompson, who are coming back from last year's injuries.

Rovers have swept aside Halifax and Hunslet already this pre-season and coach Jon Sharp has called on his team to give long-serving full-back Hardman "the day he deserves".

“Ian has enjoyed many great days as a Featherstone player, so we should all come together and ensure it is another memorable one for him," Sharp told Rovers' website.

“For the team as a whole, the visit of York provides us with another vital test as we move towards the season’s start."

Fit-again Kyle Briggs will make his first appearance of 2017, having been named in Sharp's 22-man party.

Richard Moore and trialist James Kitchen are also brought into a strong squad which includes former Knights Aaron Lyons, Anthony Thackeray and John Davies.

Admission is £10 (adults) and £5 (concessions and juniors).

Featherstone: Lyons, Bostock, Thackeray, Tagg, Griffin, Mariano, Hardman, Duckworth, Kitchen, Walton, Davies, Hardcastle, Carlisle, Briggs, Johnson, Briscoe, Cooper, Wildie, Knowles, Moore, Day, Turner.

Knights (probable): Robson, Morrison, Swift, Brierley, Foggin-Johnston, Sowerby, H Tyson-Wilson, B Tyson-Wilson, P Smith, Siddons, Batchelor, E Smith, Spears. Subs: Haynes, Dixon, Carter, Learmonth, Hey, Porter, Kittrick, Downes.