DAVE WOODS has warned his first-choice half-backs he would not be frightened to drop them if they do not perform – even if there are no direct replacements available.

York City Knights have competition for places in most positions and head coach Woods has used this to make potentially eight changes to the line-up that drew so disappointingly at London Skolars for tomorrow’s visit of Keighley (3pm) – including giving an immediate debut to Castleford loanee Jordan Thompson.

But the Aussie admits he does not have many options to surplant stand-off Chris Thorman and scrum-half Jonny Presley if either underperforms – even fewer now up-and-coming youngster Scott Woods has gone on loan to Gateshead.

Former England skipper Thorman was below-par last week and, while he is one of several to get a reprieve for tomorrow’s last Northern Rail Cup group game, Woods says no player has a God-given right to a shirt, regardless of reputation.

“We’ve spoken to Chris about how we want him to do things on the field,” said Woods, who brings Presley back in, after he sat out last week due to concussion.

“They’ve all been told we can’t afford anyone to think their position is safe. We’ve got too many good players at the moment who can push each other. We know there’s not a lot of pressure on those two (Thorman and Presley) but I wouldn’t be scared to leave them out if they’re not up to standard.

“We could put Paul Stamp or Mark Barlow in there and we would look at different things or look at bringing someone else in if we had to. They know the job they need to do as half-backs and we expect them to do it.”

Presley’s return in place of Woods is one of several changes. Captain Alex Benson is back at loose-forward after his two-match ban, Duane Straugheir returns at centre after injury, and Dennis Tuffour is back on the wing. Ian Bell is on the other wing, switching from centre.

Fit-again duo Rhys Clarke and Sam Lynch are also in line for debuts having been named in a 19-man squad along with Matt Garside, who was rested last week. Wales back-rower Matt Barron is back in training after injury but will probably get his debut in next week’s Challenge Cup tie against Northumbria University.

Dave Sutton is rested this time, while fellow winger Danny Wilson and centre Lee Waterman are dropped. Teenager Ed Smith and budding prop Adam Howard are also omitted.

Woods added: “A few of them we think did not do great last week. Some have been left out and some have been given a reprieve.”

The Knights can still mathematically qualify for the knockout stages, but they need either of Dewsbury or Barrow to come out of their match with nothing and, in what would be a major shock, Toulouse to claim no more than one point at home to the Skolars when they meet today. It would still then come down to points-difference.

Woods said getting a good performance after last week’s nightmare was the top priority.

“We can still qualify but we’re not thinking about that,” he said. “We just need to perform for ourselves and for the fans who had to endure that rubbish last week.

“Our (Championship) season starts in two weeks and we want to be hitting the ground running.”

Woods expects a tough examination from a Keighley side who have the luxury of making half a dozen changes to the line-up that narrowly lost to Toulouse last week as new player-boss Jason Demetriou rotates his squad ahead of their Championship One title push.

Luke Helliwell, Jamaine Wray, Ryan Benjafield – who is part of a highly-rated pack – and Demetriou himself will make returns to Huntington Stadium.


Knights (probable): Bush, Bell, Straugheir, Thompson, Tuffour, Thorman, Presley, Massey, Lee, B Jones, Esders, Davies, Benson.

Subs: from Stearman, Clarke, Garside, Barlow, Lewis, Lynch.

Keighley: from Belcher, Lopag, Lawton, Sagar, Hutchinson, Drake, Helliwell, Shickell, Feather, R Jones, Baines, Shepherd, Demetriou, Wray, Barr, Nicholson, Benjafield, Rawlins, Haythornthwaite.

Referee: Warren Turley (Leigh).