YORK Lokomotive ARLC kick off their new season on Saturday expecting a tough term ahead but aiming for a top-four play-off place.

Paul McDermott’s men will again be playing in the RL Conference Yorkshire East premier division, and first up is a home match against newcomers Barnsley Broncos – who played in the Yorkshire & Lincolnshire division last year – at the Lokos’ York RI base on Hamilton Drive (2.30pm).

Lokomotive reached the divisional grand final in their inaugural 2008 season but slipped out of the play-offs last year, and club treasurer Paul Boyne is hoping for an upturn in fortunes in 2011.

“Last year was disappointing,” he said. “This year we’ve got to be aiming for at least the top four.

“The standard will be difficult. We don’t know much about Barnsley but there are a couple of old rugby league names in our division this year, like Cutsyke and Knottingley, and they won’t be green teams. It will be tough, but we’re very much looking forward to getting playing.”

The Lokos in recent years have recruited players from the city’s leading winter rugby amateur clubs – York Acorn, Heworth and New Earswick – but, with Acorn and Heworth set to play a summer season next year after the National Conference League’s switch, the Lokos know they cannot be reliant on these men much longer.

They have, however, seen several new faces come over from rugby union – with one of the goals of the club when they first started having been to get more players into rugby league.

Boyne said: “Pre-season has gone very well – better than we could have hoped for really.

“There have been lots of new faces. There are seasoned rugby players but not necessarily rugby league players. Out of the 25 we have signed on, I think only a few are from Acorn or Heworth.

“They’ve all trained really well and hopefully we’ll have a good year.”