A FLU bug and sickness have hit York Wasps preparations for their Boxing Day clash with Hunslet Hawks at Huntington Stadium.

Just 12 players trained on Thursday night so coach Lee Crooks will hold a lengthy training session tomorrow before naming the team.

Mick Hagan, Mick Ramsden and Leroy McKenzie have been laid low by flu, while Paul Butterfield and Darren Hughes have been suffering from sickness and diarrhoea.

Crooks is hopeful they will recover to play, but will definitely be without second rower Andy Hill and scrum-half Gareth Stephens, who both have hamstring strains.

Stephens' recovery is taking longer than expected. He has not played since sustaining the injury in the pre-season clash with Hunslet and Crooks said: "He is about 80 per cent but he can't sprint."

However, the Wasps have been boosted by the likely return of Jamie Benn, Craig Moore and trialist half-back Gareth Oulton.

Full-back Benn missed last week's defeat by Keighley with tendonitis in his knee but was able to train on Tuesday. That caused his knee to stiffen up again but he is seeing a doctor tomorrow and Crooks expects him to figure in some capacity.

Centre or back row forward Moore has snapped a tendon in his thumb but has opted to wait until after the season for an operation.

Oulton, on trial from amateur club Lock Lane, has now returned from a holiday booked before joining York.

Tuesday's clash offers York their best chance so far to get off the mark.

Crooks said: "I've always said that we want to be competing against the top six teams and if we do that and get something out of it then that's a bonus.

"The teams that are of similar ability to us, like Hunslet, we want to be winning the games. We need to be picking up points against the teams around us if we are to reach our target of winning half our games."