IT used to be all about speed, speed, speed - but now Jamel Chisholm is a more complete winger.

That's the opinion of the man himself as he bids to kick-start his career with York City Knights - and help their bid for promotion from Kingstone Press League One in 2015.

A two-time "fastest man in rugby league", Chisholm, a former Leeds Rhinos academy starlet, has endured two frustrating years but now embarks on a new chapter in the Minster city, back in pre-season training and, hopefully, getting back in the fleet-footed groove.

"It was mainly about pace when I first started in the game - I wasn't that good at rugby, but I was fast," said the 22-year-old.

"But being at Leeds Rhinos developed me a lot as a player so now it's a bit of both. My skills got a lot better from training with the Leeds first team - my ball skills, my handling, my carries.

"My all-round game is better, but obviously I like to think pace is still a big strength."

Unlike his direct, quick style, Chisholm has taken a roundabout way on arriving in the Minster city - including a "frustrating" couple of years.

While at Leeds he was crowned rugby league’s fastest man in official sprint challenges during the floodlit 9s tournaments of 2009 and 2010. Injury prevented him defending his title in 2011 and he was a close second in the last race in 2012, a year in which he notched 27 tries in 18 appearances for their under-20s.

He had a brief cross-code switch to Leeds Carnegie, for whom he scored four tries in ten outings, before returning to the Rhinos and playing seven games on dual-registration for Hunslet in the Championship in 2013.

He signed for Featherstone a year ago but the departure of coach John Bastian signalled his exit too after only a couple of appearances, since when he flirted again with the 15-a-side code with a trial at Doncaster Knights - where he rejected a contract offer - and London Welsh, before finishing last season back in league, the code he much prefers playing, with Hemel Stags.

He came to York after hearing good things from close mate Colton Roche, the Knights' Irish international prop forward.

"I know Colton and he likes the set-up and said the squad were good and that it's a good place to be.

"It (2013 and 2014) has been a bit frustrating. I haven't played a full season since 2012 so I want to have a full season and get back to where I was."

After his little taste of League One level rugby with Hemel, he believes the Knights squad being put together by new boss James Ford should be among the division's pace-setters, even if they don't start as favourites, with the likes of Keighley, Swinton, North Wales and Barrow now in the mix, as well as perennial promotion challengers Oldham and big-spending Gateshead.

"It's a good squad, a strong squad," he said after his first few pre-season sessions with his new team-mates. "I know a few of the lads - I played with Jay Leary at Leeds, and I know a few just through rugby.

"Promotion should definitely be the aim."

As for personal goals, he said: "It's about getting back to how I was playing. So far I'm enjoying it.

"I know there's competition for places and there are some good wingers in the squad, with the likes of the Dent brothers. Competition pushes you on and makes you want to train harder and fight for that shirt."

He added: "I haven't thought about try targets yet... no, wait, hopefully I'll be top scorer."