MIKE EMBLETON will have to wait to make his bow back in York City Knights colours.

As revealed by The Press, the York Acorn ARLC captain went for talks at Huntington Stadium on Thursday with a view to returning to the club he briefly represented in 2003.

He was pencilled in to play for the reserves away to Oldham at Whitebank today (3pm) but was unable to commit at short notice due to family commitments. He is now pencilled in to play in Thursday night’s reserves match at home to Leigh.

The reserves will nevertheless be boosted by fit-again former England half-back Chris Thorman, who is expected to play half a game ahead of his first-team return tomorrow.

Fellow first-teamers Wayne Reittie and Alex Benson also feature, the latter fighting for a place back in the top grade, as does Joe McLocklan, even though he has been told he can find another club. Ed Smith and Mike Mitchell are also in the party, despite being named in the first-team 17.

As previously reported by The Press, there is also a debut for Embleton’s Acorn club-mate Davey Burns at prop.

Knights reserves: Carmody, Reittie, Campbell, Chilton, E Smith, Thorman, Schofield, Woods, Chatt, Mountford, Benson, Burns, Mortimer, G Smith, Rice, Mitchell, Embleton, McLocklan.