YORK City Knights have been dealt a blow ahead of Sunday's home game against Sheffield with the news second-row Scott Fletcher has officially left the club.

The Hull-based 28-year-old former BARLA Great Britain captain has had problems recently combining the travel-ling with new work commitments and so asked to be released from his contract.

In addition, fellow BARLA international Lee Moreton may also leave the club without having ever donned the Knights jersey. The full-back, who signed back in May, has not been a regular at training because he too has had new work com-mitments in his home city of Hull.

Knights chief executive Steve Ferres con-firmed the club had granted Fletcher's release for "personal reasons", adding: "He has made a valuable contribution up to this stage and losing him is a blow."

Injuries combined with difficulty getting to training has meant Fletcher has only played once, as a substitute at Chorley, in the last two months, and it is believed he may now rejoin amateur big-guns West Hull.

There are still some tickets available for the 'Race Knight' to be held on Friday in the bar at Huntington Stadium (7.30pm). It is ticket only and fans are reminded they will not be able to pay on the door.

Tickets, costing £4 each are available from the club office, telephone 01904 656105.

Updated: 11:10 Wednesday, July 23, 2003