YORK City Knights are without 10 players for Sunday's Betfred Championship play-off semi-final at Leigh Centurions (2pm) and have selected just a 17-man preliminary squad.

York quartet Jamie Ellis, Danny Kirmond, Levi Edwards and Ben Barnard have dropped out of the squad that beat Halifax Panthers 26-24 in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

Ellis suffered a suspected ruptured bicep at The Shay, which forced him off the field after 30 minutes, while Danny Kirmond picked up a one-match suspension for a Grade 'B' dangerous contact against Halifax.

Leeds Rhinos loanee Edwards and Heworth trialist Barnard also drop out to leave James Ford's side further short on numbers.

The Knights were already down to bare bones, having lost a number of players to season-ending injuries, including wingers Will Oakes (groin) and Olly Butterworth (ACL), props Masi Matongo (shoulder) and Pauli Pauli (ACL) and half-back Ata Hingano (ankle).

Playmaker Brendan O'Hagan and outside back Brad Ward remain absent with quad and shoulder problems respectively.

The only positive piece of team news is the recall of front-rower Ronan Dixon, who is included again after missing the last two matches with an Achilles injury suffered in the 24-18 win at Newcastle Thunder at the start of the month.

It remains to be seen how many minutes, if any, Dixon plays given that head coach Ford ruled him as "very unlikely to play" when speaking to the media on Thursday morning.

With no O'Hagan, Ellis or Hingano, number one Matty Marsh appears likely to return to the halves alongside Liam Harris, with Myles Harrison taking the full-back spot.

York City Knights squad: Marsh, Brown, Glover, Ogden, Jubb, Teanby, Clarkson, Thompson, Dixon, Stock, Harris, Harrison, Towse, Michael, Antrobus, Porter, Inman.