YORK City Knights chief executive Steve Ferres returns to the scene of one of the most contentious episodes in his rugby league life this weekend insisting he bears no grudges.

Ferres was controversially sacked as Huddersfield Giants coach in November 1997 just weeks after taking the club up to Super League, being replaced by former Great Britain international Garry Schofield.

The dejection so rocked Ferres that it effectively ended his coaching career. However, he has since gone on to enjoy great success as a chief executive, firstly with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and now with the Knights, having led the new club into the Rugby Football League - and now to the quarter-finals of the Powergen Challenge Cup where they face Huddersfield at the McAlpine Stadium on Sunday.

"I don't bear grudges," he told the Evening Press. "I've no allegiance to them (Huddersfield). It's gone, it's history now. I've no more desire to do well against Huddersfield than anybody else - I've got an incentive to beat anybody we play against because I'm a competitive person."

However, he admitted his acrimonious departure still rankled. "I was and still am unhappy with the way in which the dismissal was dealt with," he said. "It was unprofessional in the way they handled it. No reason was given and in my opinion it was totally wrong."

The Giants had ended the season with 13 consecutive victories, leading to runners-up spot in the old Division One and culminating in a divisional Premiership triumph with an 18-0 defeat of champions Hull in the final.

Hull were automatically promoted, with the Giants following them as they replaced Paris St Germain in the top tier. But when their Super League status was confirmed with St Germain's exit, Ferres was bizarrely dismissed.

"I was probably the most successful coach ever sacked," he mused. "It effectively finished my coaching career and that's what hurt most - I've not had the desire to coach again after that.

"It's fair to say it upset me and my family. I never really got a full explanation as to why they were releasing me and it was handled in an unprofessional manner."

The Huddersfield supremo then was Ken Davy, who is still in charge at the McAlpine.

Ferres added: "He got bad advice and took that advice and acted upon it. He has since publicly apologised to me and I've accepted that, but at the end of the day in my opinion what they did was wrong.

"The fans were good to me, I enjoyed some of my time there, but to leave after a season like we had was not the best.

"The fact it got swept under the carpet was not good but that's life and you've got to move on, which I have.

"I'm now just looking forward to going there and enjoying the game from our perspective."

Updated: 11:55 Friday, March 26, 2004