PLAYER-COACH Paul Broadbent has commended chief executive Steve Ferres for his part in seeing York City Knights start the league season among the favourites for promotion.

Broadbent's men won four of their Arriva Trains Cup group matches, two of them against National League Division One sides, as they warmed up for the Division Two campaign, which opens with a home clash against Gateshead today (6pm).

The Knights have also had to contend with a massive injury list which has seen almost half the first-choice team ruled out of today's match.

Broadbent said: "We've got lots of injuries but we've been able to strengthen the squad and Steve Ferres deserves a rap for fetching in new people.

"There are a number of players who have come on board and it's all adding to what we've got.

"We started off with a budget then when we picked up injuries that budget has been stretched, but Steve is a shrewd guy. He's been involved in a few rugby clubs and he knows what he's got to spend and he deserves credit for the guys he's fetched in."

As for the injury list, Broadbent said: "There's a lot of stuff going on but it's just one of those things.

"If we're going to be a team wanting to be up there we've got to be able to weather these kinds of things"

Although several players are out indefinitely, the former Great Britain prop was looking forward to a few selection headaches once injuries start healing.

Updated: 10:58 Friday, April 18, 2003