YORK City Knights coach James Ford has been named as one of the three nominees for the Betfred Championship coach of the year for 2019.

Ford has led York to a third-placed finish in the Championship this season, the first time since their reformation in 2002 that they've achieved a play-off place.

The feat is made even more remarkable given that it is the club's first year back in the second tier after winning the League One title last term.

This year the Knights have finished ahead of Featherstone and Leigh, both of whom are believed to have far larger budgets than Ford's side and this weekend they take on Featherstone in the semi-finals of the play-offs.

It's the fourth time that Ford has been nominated for an individual award, having previously been picked in 2015, 2017 and 2018, winning the latter, when the Knights were in League 1.

Also shortlisted alongside Ford are Toronto Wolfpack's Brian McDermott and Mark Aston of Sheffield Eagles.

The winners will be announced at the Championship and League 1 Awards Night at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester on Tuesday, September 24 - which will be screened live on the RFL's Our League app.

There are no York players listed in either the Player of the Year or Young Player of the Year categories.

The Toronto trio of the Andy Ackers, Gareth O'Brien and Jon Wilkin are the nominees for the Player of the Year award.

Matty Ashton (Swinton Lions), Keanan Brand (Widnes Vikings) and Joe Cator (Leigh Centurions) are the three players competing to win the Young Player of the Year award.