YORK City Knights have boosted their pack power by bringing a young Bull to Huntington Stadium.

The Knights have been on the trail of Bradford Academy star Tom Andrews for some time and finally got their man yesterday as he put pen to paper on a two-year contract.

In addition, the club were in discussions with a prop forward with a view to tying up a loan deal early next week in order to boost their front-row force following the retirement of Rich Hayes last week.

Twenty-one-year-old Andrews, who is a back-rower, is not seen as a direct replacement for Hayes, and in any case won't be involved on Sunday when the Knights visit Gateshead for an Arriva Trains Cup group game (KO 3pm).

This means coach Richard Agar's front-row options will remain limited this weekend, with Dan Briggs and Yusuf Sozi the only specialist props available, though second-rows Simon Friend and John Smith can provide cover.

Nevertheless, chief executive Steve Ferres was delighted to have finally secured Andrews' capture.

He said: "We tried to sign Tom last season after seeing him play for Bradford Bulls (Academy) but Bradford led him to believe he was in with a chance of Super League action and he wanted to go down that route.

"At this moment, it looks like he won't get a chance at Bradford in front of some other lads they've got there and he believes he's got a better opportunity elsewhere, and we've given him that chance to push his career forward.

"He's a very capable player who hits hard and hits the line well. I think he's going to be one to watch for the future. It's fair to say he's an untapped talent and he could go and play Super League in a few years' time. He has a lot of ability and we'll give him that stepping stone.

"National League Two is the next level up for him and we're looking for players who can step up again to NL1 and beyond, and he fits the bill."

He added: "He was a long-term target of ours and now he's become available we've nipped in before anybody else did."

As for the prop search, Ferres added: "We're still looking but we're closing in on a loan deal."

Updated: 10:40 Friday, February 13, 2004