YORK City Knights are hoping their preparations off the field will reap the rewards on it tomorrow when they face Barrow Border Raiders.

Three defeats and a draw from their opening four National Two matches has left the pre-season favourites at the wrong end of the table.

However, the squad are determined to get things right when they travel to Barrow and they are leaving nothing to chance, from the use of a sports psychologist to travelling to Craven Park a day early.

Player-coach Paul Broadbent said: "The sports psychologist has been in a couple of times and he has sown a few seeds in the minds of the lads.

"They now realise that mental preparation is as important as the physical aspects and have taken it all on board. It will be an ongoing thing, because you can't just sort things out in a couple of sessions, but all the guys are in good spirits.

"We are going across a day early to ensure that the preparation is right. We are not looking for excuses from before, but we are targeting this game for a win - we have to.

"There is a pretty positive feel among the players and that has been helped by the second-half against Keighley."

Having had a fortnight away from the hustle and bustle of action to reflect on their poor start to the league campaign, Broadbent has ensured the hours have been put in on the training ground to correct a few faults.

"We've done a lot in the past two weeks and have been able to work on a few areas that needed work," he said. "The guys have worked hard and there is a good feel among them now."

One benefit of the extra training has been the recovery of former Great Britain international hooker Lee Jackson, who is set for at least a place on the bench tomorrow.

"Lee Jackson has trained for the past two weeks, so there is a good chance he will play some part," added Broadbent. "It has been a difficult period for us with players out and although one player is unlikely to make a huge difference, Lee has lots of experience and his ability will be a big positive to us.

"He is a quality player, but we have got a few other quality players coming through. I think that we are now starting to turn the corner."

Only Alex Godfrey remains on the injured list - a stark contrast to the start of the campaign when nearly a full 13 were in the treatment room.

Updated: 10:08 Saturday, May 24, 2003