RETURNING York Wasps winger Leigh Deakin has admitted he needed little persuasion to re-sign for the Huntington Stadium club.

The try-scoring ace put pen to paper on a 12-month deal yesterday, signing up for a third spell at the Rugby League Premiership outfit.

Soon after sealing the deal he told the Evening Press he was delighted to have returned.

"It's a new era for the club. Things are looking up and it's a pleasure to be back," said the 28-year-old, who was Wasps' leading try-scorer in 1998 and joint-top scorer in 1999 before injury hampered his career.

"I've been reading in the Evening Press of the players the club are signing, and the chance of playing with these players, such as Peter Edwards, made it an easy decision to come back."

The former Hull and Leeds top-flight ace first spoke to Wasps about a new deal on Friday and it only took three days for him to make up his mind.

He said: "I spoke to (chief executive) Ann Garvey and discussed terms. She told me how the club is looking up and to sign was an easy option really."

He added: "Obviously we want an improvement on recent seasons but I think we can aim for a top six place.

"Three years ago we had a fantastic team here and that's the way it seems to be going again."

Deakin has been out of rugby league for the best part of two years following knee ligament damage, which curtailed a proposed lucrative move to Doncaster Dragons and ruled him out of the 2000 season.

He briefly turned out for amateurs York Acorn last season but this season has been returning to full fitness by turning out for Yorkshire One rugby union outfit York, for whom he had intermitently played during the 1990s.

He said: "I've only really been playing this season after undergoing knee reconstruction but I've been getting back to full fitness and will be 100 per cent by the start of the new campaign. I'm raring to go.

"It's been great to play rugby union for York; they've got a good set-up at Clifton Park and it's got my confidence back."

Deakin, who as a teenager toured New Zealand with Great Britain's Under-19 amateurs, started his rugby league career in York with amateur clubs Civil Service and Heworth.

The former Lowfields School pupil slipped through the Wasps' net to sign professional terms with Leeds, where he made four first-team appearances before joining York for around £6,000 in August 1993.

He ran in 36 tries in 42 games for the Wasps between then and 1995, after which he signed for Hull before returning to Huntington Stadium for the 1998 season. He bagged a further 15 touchdowns that year to be the league's joint-top try-scorer, and 14 in 20 games in 1999.

* Wasps fans are reminded that the deadline day for cut-price 'early bird' season tickets is tomorrow. Under the deal, seating tickets cost £110 for adults, £77 for OAPs; while standing tickets cost £88 for adults, £55 for OAPs.

Wasps also have an offer for junior supporters whereby season tickets cost just £25, which includes a free replica Wasps shirt.

Tickets can be bought from the Huntington Stadium club, tel York (01904) 634636.

Updated: 11:54 Tuesday, October 30, 2001