CH preview: York v Sheffield (Sun)

Nathan Freer (illness) and Adam Sullivan (ankle) are both unlikely to feature for York City Knights, but James Ford could return as coach Gary Thornton aims for another proud performance against Sheffield Eagles.

The Knights lost by just two points at Halifax on Sunday. Now they face table-topping Sheffield, but Thornton believes his side’s record gives reason to be optimistic.

Thornton said: “Sheffield are a quality team, but we’ve shown we can push top teams close.

“We’ve beaten Featherstone and pushed Halifax close twice. If we play to our potential, we can match the top teams.”

Eagles coach Mark Aston is set to check on his squad’s fitness after Wednesday’s 36-0 win over Workington Town.

Sheffield are now three points clear at the top of the Kingstone Press Championship, but Aston is still striving for better.

He said: “We got a win (on Wednesday), but that’s all. It was scrappy, messy and not the football we want to play.

“If we keep dropping our guard then someone’s going to come and get us.”