8:50am Wednesday 10th March 2010
By Peter Martini
CARETAKER-boss Chris Thorman will put his faith in fringe players to take York City Knights into the quarter-finals of the Northern Rail Cup.
Player-coach Thorman is set to name a much-changed line-up tonight (7pm) – including a new-look back line – when his team take on London Skolars in the rearranged group game, in which victory would guarantee progression to the knockout stages.
No fewer than half a dozen players could come in for their first starts of the season, as Thorman rests, rotates and refreshes his first-choice squad with one eye on the weekend’s Championship One clash at old bogey team Workington.
Key half-back Thorman is to sit tonight out after coming off in the second half of Sunday’s Challenge Cup win at Gateshead with an adductor strain, though he is hopeful of being fit for Sunday.
The Skolars have been forced to make changes aplenty, and Thorman was adamant it was not risky to do likewise – even for what he termed a “must-win” game. “I think we’ve got enough experience and enough quality in there,” he said. “They would not be in the squad or getting their opportunity if I or Mick (assistant-coach Mick Ramsden) didn’t think they weren’t worthy of the shirt.”
Jy-Mel Coleman could replace Thorman for his debut – playing against his former club – though Casey Bromilow and Jonathan Schofield could form a new combination.
Tom Stancliffe, Tom Lineham and debutant Matty Duckworth look likely to come into the outside backs for their first starts this season, with points-machine Lee Waterman set to switch to full-back as Danny Ratcliffe rests his troublesome knee.
In the pack, hooker Chris Williams will replace the unavailable Paul Stamp and second-row Kris Peacock is likely to make his seasonal bow too, while Carl Barrow and Luke Hardbottle were also named in the provisional 18.
Captain Richard Blakeway, second-rows Danny Hill and Chris Clough, pictured, outside-backs Wayne Reittie and Mike Mitchell, and prop Brett Waller are among those rested. Hill, who came off with an elbow injury on Sunday, would have been okay to play if called upon so should be fine for the weekend.
Thorman said: “It will give someone else an opportunity. We’ve said that a lot recently and maybe we need to find some continuity as well, but it’s a long season and we have a large squad, so why not use it.
“We’ve also got some tough league games coming up, which we’ve always said is the priority.”
Thorman remained confident the new-look team could do the job.
“The likes of Matty Duckworth and Kris Peacock are good professionals and deserve their opportunity,” he said. “They keep their heads down and keep working hard and are easy to coach because they listen.”
He added: “It’s a must-win game because we want to progress into the next round and we wouldn’t have made changes if we didn’t think they could do the job.”
That task should be made easier by the fact the Skolars have to make nine changes to the team that lost to Limoux on Sunday due to work commitments and knocks.
Those out include former Knights Paul Thorman and Jermaine Coleman – the respective brothers of Chris and Jy-Mel.
All tickets for the original clash will be valid tonight.
Knights (possible): Waterman, Stancliffe, Duckworth, Lewis, Lineham, Coleman, Schofield, Fallon, Bromilow, Benson, Ross, Hardbottle, McLocklan. Subs: Williams, Peacock, Applegarth, Barrow.
Skolars: from Boston, Adebisi, Williams, Quinn, Junor, Roach, Simon, Ball, Montgomery, Welsh, Isles, Carter, Bloom, Oduchowski, Small, McLoughlin.
Referee: Clint Sharrad (Manchester).
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