DAVE WOODS admitted his last-minute decision to throw Ian Bell straight into the flames on his return to York City Knights might have backfired a bit – but he was still buoyed to get the big man back.

Bell was released from prison on Friday and, in a major surprise, Woods named him on the bench for their first home Northern Rail Cup game of term against competition favourites Featherstone yesterday – omitting unproven duo Adam Howard and Davey Burns from the 17.

However, the much-travelled 28-year-old was sin-binned just after half-time, five minutes after entering the fray, and Rovers, his former club, went on to score two tries in the time York were a man down. Those scores helped the visitors to win 32-22.

Woods said: “It was either going to work for us or backfire. I’ve got to take it, that it has not worked for us, with him getting sin-binned. We just thought we would give it a try.

“We had a couple of young blokes and I did not want to risk them – it can damage them if they’re overplayed. I made that choice yesterday morning and I will live with it.”

Former Super League centre Bell has played only three games since signing for York in July 2009. However, he had been training regularly in the gym while in Hull Prison, working with a prison officer who is also a Hull FC conditioner, and he certainly looked in good shape.

Woods added: “We just took the chance to get a bit more size, aggression and experience in there. He carried the ball well and fitness-wise he was all right. It’s a case of him getting up to match speed and how we play and what we do.”

Howard, who has come through a trial, and former York Acorn amateur Burns might now get a run-out at Championship One outfit London Skolars next week or in the last Northern Rail Cup group game, at home to Keighley.

Woods added: “It might have been a big jump for them to go up against that Featherstone pack.”

Woods had no complaints with referee Gareth Hewer’s decision to yellow-card Bell after he flattened Iain Morrison in an off-the-ball collision not long after being penalised for leading with the elbow in a hit-up, again against Morrison, who moments earlier had been penalised for roughing up Bell in the tackle.

Woods said: “Chris Thorman was taken out late and we never got a penalty for that, but there you go. We’ve got to be smarter. We can’t afford to do that. I had a chat with him (Bell) and he apologised after the game. He will take a bit of time to gel with what we’re doing and our discipline.”

The Knights, rank cup outsiders after their promotion last season, generally competed well against the competition favourites, with two tries in the last nine minutes helping them to collect a second losing bonus point, which keeps alive slim hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Woods said: “Again we’ve done some really good things but this is the difference between Championship One and Championship rugby league.

“We’ve got some real good young blokes who aren’t ready yet but they competed to the end again and took a bonus point from Featherstone, who are clearly the best side in the competition, so we have to credit that.

“They have to keep working on little things they are doing wrong.

“There’s not going to be an easy game in the Championship, but, so long as they learn from it, the little timing things and about how to play the game at this level, then they will all right.”

He added: “We’ve given away too many stupid penalties. We’re gifting them some things, and a couple of decisions went against us. It’s something we need to work on.

“We fought well to get back into the game in the first half but we lost Belly and it’s always hard against a side like Featherstone to get points back.”