JAMES FORD has provided a positive injury update on York City Knights’ experienced players Adam Cuthbertson and Chris Clarkson.

Cuthbertson suffered a shoulder fracture in the 2020 Challenge Cup final in his last appearance for Leeds Rhinos before joining up with York.

Clarkson, meanwhile, experienced some minor irritation to his knee ligaments in the week prior to last night’s friendly against Hull FC at the LNER Community Stadium.

Neither took part against the Super League outfit, but Knights head coach Ford is optimistic about their chances of making a comeback ahead of York’s first competitive outing of the season.

The Knights are hoping Clarkson, 30, will be in a position to prepare with the rest of the side ahead of the March 19 Challenge Cup first round tie against Sheffield.

Speaking ahead of the Hull game, Ford said: “We’re not overly concerned about at this moment. We’ll just let the irritation settle down and he should be good to train leading into Sheffield.”

On 35-year-old Australian star Cuthbertson, Ford added: “We’re going to be really patient around Adam.

“I’m not overly worried about that situation. We knew the case when we signed him.

“He’s targeting the Sheffield game but we’ll see where he’s at.

“We’re not going to make any rash decisions with Adam. We want him out there as long as possible and we don’t want to risk that by bringing him back too soon.”