YORK City Knights coach Mick Cook will look for big improvements tonight as his side end their pre-season fixture list at Hull.

The Knights visit the KC Stadium (ko 7.30pm) for their last warm-up before they kick off their season with a Northern Rail Cup group tie at former Super League outfit Castleford Tigers on Sunday, February 13.

Cook reckons the Black and Whites, who will field a mixed team of Super League stars and young fringe players, will provide a tough work-out but states his focus is only on how his own team play.

"We're looking at ourselves and trying to improve on things that we weren't too good at versus Doncaster in our previous friendly, things like our structures and sticking to the game plan," he said.

"Defensively we'll look to be a bit tighter over the 80 minutes - we were 28-0 up against Doncaster but conceded 26 points in the second half and that was a bit disappointing."

Half of Hull's 20-man squad are expected to be regular first-teamers this season, including former Knights hero Danny Brough, who left Huntington Stadium in the off-season and has impressed in his short time at the KC.

Club captain Richard Swain, crowd-puller Nathan Blacklock, fit-again Peter Lupton, Shayne McMe-nemy, Richard Whiting, Paul McNicholas and flyer Richie Barnett - a former team-mate at Gateshead of York's Yusuf Sozi and the Thorman brothers - are among the other big names on view.

With unlimited substitutions allowed, Cook will again give run-outs to all his fit players though his plan is for those who have not started in either of the Knights' previous two friendlies to begin in the 13, apart from Ian Kirke, who, if passed fit after his broken hand, will be a substitute.

Neil Thorman is a major doubt after his calf injury against Doncaster, while Darren Callaghan will be given a late test after picking up a knee problem in training.

Updated: 10:50 Wednesday, January 26, 2005