CULT hero Dennis Tuffour will not return to York City Knights this weekend – and there is a fear he might not be coming back at all.
The winger, who has bagged nine tries in 11 appearances in Championship One, went back to parent club Hull earlier this month and is now set to try his luck with the Super League side as injuries have put him in the first-team frame.
The Knights, who host Workington on Sunday, have tried to get him back for the all-important run-in, but general manager Ian Wilson said: “There is no further news. We pretty much won’t be getting him this week and at the moment he might get a shot at the first team there so it’s out of our hands.”
Tuffour initially arrived at York on a dual-registration in April though this was changed to a loan deal at the beginning of June to make him eligible for the Northern Rail Cup quarter-final at Keighley.
That arrangement ended after the Knights’ win over Doncaster on July 4 after which he returned to the KC Stadium and, although he has played only for the under-20s since, further injuries mean he has a chance of a first-team call-up.
The Knights remain hopeful he could be back at Huntington Stadium for the play-offs, but they have confirmed they will not be renewing acquaintance this year with dual- registered Castleford duo Jordan Thompson and John Davies, nor with second-row Kris Peacock.
The two dual-registration deals were struck in early March, since when Davies has played only one match for York and Thompson has not been seen in a Knights shirt. Neither can feature in the play-offs as they have not played enough Championship One matches to be eligible.
Peacock, meanwhile, left last month due to a lack of first-team opportunities. The 23-year-old played five times this year, his last appearance being against Rochdale in April, scoring two tries. He played eight times in 2009, scoring once.
The Knights second string host Dewsbury Rams tonight (8pm) in the Reserve Team Championship.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here