HULL FC will have the honour of being the first opposition team to face York City Knights at the LNER Community Stadium tomorrow evening.

After over a decade of waiting to make the move, it seems only fitting that the Knights should mark the occasion against one of the Betfred Super League’s best sides, even if it does take place behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hull snatched the final spot in last year’s top six to earn a place in the play-offs, going on to win 27-14 against third-placed Warrington Wolves at the Halliwell Jones Stadium before top-of-the-table Wigan Warriors claimed a 29-2 victory over them in the semi-finals.

Since then, there’s been a change of coach for the 2016 and 2017 Challenge Cup winners, as former Man of Steel Brett Hodgson has been appointed as head coach, succeeding interim coach Andy Last.

Hodgson enjoyed a successful playing career in his native Australia at Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers before making the move to England.

He led Huddersfield Giants to a Challenge Cup final in his first season and later joined the Warrington - winning both the Challenge Cup and Lance Todd Trophy in 2012.

Having been a previous consultant at Hull and Widnes Vikings, Hodgson held the assistant coach role at Wests before being head-hunted by the Black and Whites.

Hodgson’s task looks to be to deliver an elusive first Super League title, with Hull having last won the league title back in 1983.

As new coach, Hodgson has avoided any temptation to rip up the existing squad and sign an entire new roster, with only one major incoming arriving during the off-season.

Half-back Josh Reynolds has joined from NRL outfit Wests Tigers and will replace Albert Kelly who returns Down Under.

Reynolds was a star of the Australian top-flight at Canterbury Bulldogs but has struggled for form in his latter seasons and during his most recent spell at Wests.

The ex-State of Origin star was recently tipped as one of the favourites to win the Man of Steel in a poll run by Rugby League Live and could well form a deadly partnership with talismanic half Marc Sneyd.

The trip to the LNER Community Stadium looks set to see Reynolds make his Hull debut, after Hodgson confirmed to the press that he would be playing his strongest possible team.

The Humberside club will however be without prop Masi Matongo, hooker Jordan Johnstone and full-back Jamie Shaul - all of whom are missing due to injury.

Scott Taylor, who was named as one of the club's three co-captains last week, is also on the sidelines through injury, with hooker Danny Houghton in line to be given their armband against the Knights.

As well as the more well-established names, Hull look set to field many of their young prospects - including former York loanee Cameron Scott.

The centre scored four tries in seven appearances in the Knights' run-in to the Championship play-offs in 2019.

"I really enjoyed my time at York, it was a bit of a sour year in 2019 for me, it wasn't the most positive, but I went there and gained a lot of confidence from it," he told the Hull Daily Mail earlier this week.

"I'm going to enjoy going back just to see some familiar faces that helped with my development."