YORK City Knights go to Workington tomorrow looking to maintain a stranglehold over their old bogey side – and for in-form Lee Waterman to maintain his chart-topping scoring form.

The Knights went seven matches without a win against the Cumbrians until July 2008 and, although they have reversed the hoodoo with four straight victories, player/caretaker-coach Chris Thorman has warned that a resurgent Town are now a tougher proposition than in the last 18 months.

As expected, he has reverted to his strongest line-up for tomorrow’s second Championship One match of the season (kick off 3pm), after a much-changed side beat London Skolars on Wednesday to see the club through to the Northern Rail Cup knockout stages.

That means Waterman goes back to centre, having been switched to full-back against the Skolars, when he bagged another try and five more goals to go top of the Championships’ try-scoring and points-scoring charts.

Thorman said: “Whenever I’ve been to Cumbria it’s been a tough game. There’s that long, winding bus journey which seems to be longer than anywhere else, and then you have to play against a bunch of people who are very passionate about rugby league.

“They’re very physical – I went there with (Super League sides) Huddersfield and London Broncos for cup games and, while we won, they always gave as good as they got. We knew we had been in a battle.

“That’s what we’re expecting tomorrow and we know the threat they possess.”

Number one Danny Ratcliffe is back at full-back after being rested in midweek, seeing Waterman return to the three-quarters along with Wayne Reittie and Mike Mitchell, who had also been rested, though young flier Tom Lineham keeps his place in a provisional 19-man squad.

Thorman reckoned Waterman, previously regarded as a loose-forward or full-back, had proved a huge success at centre having been switched there in pre-season.

And he said if he continued to improve then the former Skirlaugh and Great Britain amateur could go far in the professional arena.

“His scoring exploits are great – he can certainly get over the whitewash and his goal-kicking has been pretty good,” said the caretaker-boss.

“We’ve got a number of people who can kick goals but his form suggests he should continue to do it. It doesn’t seem to take away from other aspects of his game.

“He’s come from an amateur background, though, whereas a lot of boys have come from Super League academies where you get taught the basics and fundamentals from an early age.

“There are things he’s really good at but sometimes his decision-making and the places he finds himself on the field are things he could work on.

“But he’s constantly testing me and asking how to improve. He acknowledges he’s not perfect and he wants to be good at everything.”

Thorman himself is back at stand-off, with Casey Bromilow winning the latest battle with Jonny Schofield for the scrum-half role.

Captain Richard Blakeway, Press Player of the Month Brett Waller, fellow prop Nathan Freer, second-row Danny Hill and hooker Paul Stamp also return to the 19, with Thorman leaving it late to choose his match-day 17, after prop Jon Fallon and second-row Luke Hardbottle staked strong claims to keep their places with excellent shows in midweek.

Workington have extended the loan of Barrow’s Ruairi McGoff but fellow props Lee Dutton (chickenpox) and Kris Coward (sternum) face late tests and Dean Bragg is out injured.

Workington: from Carter, Lebbon, Frazer, Backhouse, Beattie, Low, Wilson, L Finch, Kaighan, McGoff, Dutton, Coward, S Burgess, Marshall, Whitehead, J Finch, Stack, Campbell, Coupar, McKenna, Robinson.

Knights (possible): Ratcliffe, Reittie, Mitchell, Waterman, Lewis, Thorman, Bromilow, Benson, McLocklan, Freer, Hill, Ross, Blakeway. Subs: from Stamp, Hardbottle, Applegarth, Waller, Fallon, Lineham.

Referee: Matthew Kidd (Castleford).