DANNY RATCLIFFE reckons the new-look York City Knights squad could be better equipped for promotion now than at any other time since he joined the club.

The ace full-back – a nominee for the 2009 Championship One Young Player of the year award and now in the running for the Knights captaincy next year – is one of only two players still at Huntington Stadium to have been at the club since the beginning of the 2008 season, the other being prop Mark Applegarth.

The team finished sixth in Championship One that year and third last season, losing in the play-off semi-finals. But Ratcliffe reckons the make-up of this year’s line-up, and the way they have shown up in pre-season so far, means the title has to be a target – despite the fact it is a much-changed team yet to gel.

“This is going to be my third year with the club and it’s probably our best chance of going up,” said the 22-year-old, who is one of four frontrunners for the armband – along with Applegarth, Richard Blakeway and Joe McLocklan – and will lead the team in the opening friendly against the York Select XIII on December 27.

“The lads from clubs like Castleford and Leeds have come in and are showing up well. Lads like Luke Hardbottle and Matty Duckworth – they’re second-rows but they’re up there sprinting round the track with us backs. I know they’re young but they look ready to go.

“We should do well, especially when you think we’ve got the likes of Chris Thorman (former England captain and now Knights player/assistant-coach). I don’t think there’s been a signing as big as that in our league. The experience he will bring is phenomenal. You can see it just training on the field with him.

“We’ve also got the likes of Danny Hill (ex-Wigan) here and he’s someone I’ve heard a lot of good things about.

“Promotion is definitely the aim. Top spot is what we’ll be going for. We haven’t done our goal-setting as a squad yet but that will be it, I’m sure.”

Dewsbury-based Ratcliffe’s first season at Huntington Stadium under the then new coaching duo of player-boss Paul March and assistant James Ratcliffe – Danny’s uncle and now the head coach – got off to a slow start, the new-look young team taking 12 games to get off the winning mark.

But full-back Ratcliffe, who bagged 17 tries in 29 games that year and 19 in 21 last season, believes this team will not take as long to get into the winning groove – despite the fact the majority of the 32 players signed up for 2010 are new to the club.

“I still don’t know a few names but pre-season has been going well,” he said. “We’ve been doing a lot of weights and that’s going well.

“It’s another young set of lads like it was when Paul March took over, and another new team. Once we get to know each other we should be all right.

“We’ve got a few friendlies to get used to each other. I don’t think it will be as bad as it was the last time we were in this position.”

Ratcliffe is still awaiting the outcome of the Rugby Football League’s investigation into his dispute with Keighley’s Daley Williams at the end of last season. Williams dislocated Ratcliffe’s jaw and broke his nose with a punch off the ball and, after the latter threatened legal action, Williams made counter-claims of racist abuse – something Ratcliffe strenuously denies.

He is focusing, however, on getting ready for next season, not least the games against Hunslet. No fewer than ten of Ratcliffe’s York team-mates from last season have now joined the Hawks in the wake of March’s move to south Leeds.

Ratcliffe added: “I’ve already had a bit of banter with Rob Kelly (who was one of those players). I know a lot of players have left York for Hunslet – though I’m sure we will treat it as just another game.”

• Danny Hill was mistakenly omitted from the list of players in the Knights squad without a shirt number.