YORK City Knights player-boss Paul Broadbent will have the chance to check out several potential first-teamers after naming a squad of 20 for the Knights' historic friendly against Oldham Roughyeds tomorrow.

Among the 20 picked for the Knights first-ever game are three new trialists, while former York Wasps and Gateshead Thunder centre Gareth Lloyd will also be given the chance to lay claim to a first-team berth.

The three trialists are young front rower Dave Bolas, who played for Wakefield reserves last year and has also played for Doncaster; British Student star Jermaine Colman, a young utility back who has played for both Hunslet and Gateshead and has also been on trial at Halifax; and Graham Batty, a full-back who has played for Doncaster and who shone in the Knights' trial match last month.

"It won't be our first-choice line-up that we'll put out because one or two players are unavailable and there's a couple of players we've got a question mark over," said Broadbent.

"The general bulk of the squad will be involved but one or two in the team will be some players we want to have another look at or others we want to try out."

Matt Blaymire, who joined the Knights from Wakefield Trinity, is awaiting clearance from a specialist after knee surgery in the close-season and fellow full-back/winger Alex Godfrey is recovering from a broken thumb. Both are named in the squad but won't be risked if they do not get the nod from the medics.

Damien Kennedy's loan deal from Leeds will not start in time, while Australian signing Trevor Krause does not fly in until next week. Broadbent himself is out until March after shoulder surgery.

It is believed the Knights and the Roughyeds have agreed that unlimited substitutions will be permitted.

Knights: from Bolas*, Westmorland, Embleton, Stannard, Jackson, Hayes, Ramsden, Callaghan, Fletcher, Colman*, Hallas, Lloyd, Molloy, Batty*, Cain, Yeaman, McTigue, Blaymire, Godfrey, Beever. (*trialist). KO 2.30pm.

Knights members and season ticket holders are remin- ded that passes do not count for tomorrow's friendly versus Oldham, nor next week's against Wakefield, as the gates for these games are shared.

Those tickets kick in with the opening National League Cup tie against Hull KR. Admission tomorrow is pay on the gate (£8 or £5 concessions).

Updated: 10:48 Saturday, January 04, 2003