BOSS James Ford reckons York City Knights have snapped up a player who can cause teams "enormous problems at this level and beyond" after recruiting wildcard Jake Normington from old arch-rivals Hunslet.

The bruising back-rower is one of three signings announced today, alongside promising half-back Brad Delaney, who arrives from Coventry, and young centre Adam Swift, who is retained for another year, despite the serious knee injury he suffered at the end of the season.

Normington, 25, who can also play at centre and even in the middle, came off Leeds Rhinos' production line before joining Keighley in 2011 then Hunslet in 2013.

He returned to amateur club East Leeds before re-signing for the Parksiders at the start of the 2016 season - being a standout man of the match when Hunslet won at York that year, on a rare occasion Knights 2017 skipper Ed Smith was outgunned in a personal battle.

Ford said: “Jake has performed really well in League One, probably not so much this year but the year before he caught the eye a lot. He caused our right-hand side lots of problems.

"We just like certain things in his game. He's a big, strong, athletic player who's got a bit of versatility and a good offload game."

Normington's arrival follows quickly on from that of Doncaster's Mike Kelly, with this pair now set to battle with big new recruit Sam Scott and Player of the Year Joe Batchelor for back-row berths.

Ford added: "If we can get Jake to buy into how we do things at York, we can really improve him as a player.

"The opportunity will be there for him to learn, work hard and improve. He will get plenty of encouragement. Ultimately it will come down to Jake, but we believe in him.

"He can cause teams enormous problems at this level and beyond. He just needs to make sure he comes at this challenge head on."

Delaney and Swift may not start pre-season as likely first-choices but Ford says both, like Normington, can make their mark at Bootham Crescent.

Delaney, 22, rose through the ranks at Dewsbury, playing three times for their first team, before having loan spells at Doncaster and Hemel in 2016 and then joining Coventry 12 months ago.

He scored nine tries in 21 appearances for the Bears this year.

Ford said: “If he brings a positive attitude and trains to the standards he knows I expect of him, there’s no reason why he can’t make a starting jersey his own.”

Swift, 21, came through York's old youth system before spending time at Featherstone and in France.

He made four first-grade appearances this year - being thrown in at the deep end in defeats away to League One's top three of Toronto, Barrow and Whitehaven, before scoring a try in the dead rubber at home to Newcastle.

He was stretchered off in that game and is unlikely to be fit for selection until July or August after his knee op, but that injury has not affected his deal for 2018.

"Adam's shown a lot of promise," said Ford. "He's played against the top teams in the league away from home and done okay in all of his appearances.

"He's defensively strong and he's a big kid - he will be a big guy when he fully matures. He's steadily maturing.

"I've thought he had the potential to become a first-teamer since he was 16, it just needed him to grow up.

"There are positive signs. I've been impressed with how he's handling his injury - he's really determined to come back bigger, stronger and better and we're confident he's taking a really professional approach to his rehab.

"If players have a fantastic work ethic, we have the facilities to see them improve, and I'm excited to see how he develops."