SPEED machine Tom Lineham will be back in a York City Knights shirt tonight as the second team go to Widnes Vikings for a reserves league game (5pm, at Widnes RUFC).

Lineham, the 19-year-old flier who burst on the scene with 11 tries in 18 appearances last year, has been out of action since early August due to a knee problem followed by major surgery on the joint.

Initially there were fears he would miss most if not all of this season but he is back now, and head coach Dave Woods says he could have been back even sooner had his rehab gone better. The winger – who as a 17-year-old came a close-up third in a rugby league sprint challenge featuring quickies from Super League – had his knee operation before prop Brett Waller, but the latter has been back in the first team for a few weeks already.

Woods said: “Tom’s been training for three or four weeks and doing contact work for the last couple of weeks. He actually had his operation before Brett but Brett had a really good rugby league doctor and did really good with his rehab, and Tom needed to do that as well.

“But he’s back now and ready to play. He still needs to learn the game positional-wise but he’s still quick – he’s still got that pace. It’s good to have him back and I’m sure he’ll go well again.”

Reserves coach Mick Ramsden will give James Haynes a run at full-back as he works his way back from injury, but he will not play all the game as he is set to return to first-team action in tomorrow’s Challenge Cup tie against Hull KR.

Prop Davey Burns also returns after missing the last few weeks with a dead leg as the reserves look to avenge a last-gasp defeat against the Vikings in March.

A place on the bench for tomorrow’s tie is also still up for grabs for anyone who shines tonight.

Knights reserves: Haynes, Lineham, Dent, Hyde, Tuffour, Stamp, Woods, Howard, Brining, Mitchell, Smith, Rice, Hemmings. Subs from Gray, Mole, Burns, Mortimer, Winstanley, D Barron.