YORK City Knights have received a major boost as club captain Rich Hayes has decided to continue playing.

As predicted by the Evening Press, the 33-year-old prop has staved off retirement to sign for another year for his home-town club, bolstering the Knights' front-line firepower.

The club have also confirmed the signing of Damian Ball, the former Rochdale and Dewsbury favourite who was a hit with York fans during a spell with York Wasps from 1995-97. The Press believes the Knights have beaten several other clubs, including some from Division One, to the back-rower's signature.

The re-signing of Hayes - nicknamed Hoss - will be a big fillip for Knights supporters, who had appealed to him to put off retirement. He has won several individual awards down the years with York Wasps and Hull KR as well as a Premiership winner's medal with Hunslet, and last year was runner-up in the Evening Press/Collier Plant Hire Player of the Season standings.

Hayes, who has a testimonial match on January 4 against Hull KR, told the Evening Press he was keen to finish with another successful season.

"As time goes on, you rest and you think to yourself maybe you've been a bit hasty (as regards retirement), maybe you could squeeze one more year out," he said.

"You like to see good lads coming in and the Knights have signed an awful lot of good players. There's a big drive for promotion (from National League Two) this year and it would be good to go out on a high."

A big factor in Hayes' decision revolved around a course he had started at technical college.

"I'm going to tech to learn a trade - have to think about the future - and I had to make sure I could change my nights there," he explained. "I was going on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is when the Knights train, but I've now been able to swap them.

"It will be a busy time for me and it's going to be hard but we will see how it goes. Hopefully it will be a good year."

Knights chief executive Steve Ferres acclaimed the return of Hayes. "It's a big boost for the club and for the players - they took it really well when Rich told them. He's looking for a big start to the season with his testimonial and a big finish. It's fair to say he's excited about what's happening at York."

As for Ball, Ferres said: "He's a very talented footballer. I believe he's never really fulfilled his potential and that there's still more in him. At the age of 27 he should be playing his best football and in (coach) Richard Agar we've got the guy who can fetch it out of him."

Agar, who went to school with Ball, added: "Over the last five or six years he's probably been one of the best players not to get picked up by a Super League club for one reason or another, and we reckon he'll be a big player for us."

Updated: 11:23 Wednesday, November 19, 2003