YORK City Knights boss Dave Woods has urged luckless young-gun Benn Hardcastle to come back stronger after his latest and most devastating blow.

The promising stand-off is set to miss a year of his career after doctors decided he needed a full knee reconstruction following the freak injury he suffered in only his third outing for the Knights’ first team.

The diagnosis compounds an awful few months for the 21-year-old.

He firstly had to wait to join York following a tug-of-war with Sheffield – for whom he did not play a game after joining from Hull KR in the off-season.

And when the move finally came through, he broke his jaw on his first outing for his new club, in a reserves match in March.

He returned to action four weeks later to make his first-team bow but, two appearances later, he was stretchered off early in the second half of the Challenge Cup tie against his old club Hull KR, on May 8.

It was initially thought he would be out for a few months with medial ligament damage, but a new diagnosis means his career is on ice.

It has been estimated his earliest return will be March next year, though Woods is envisaging a good rehabilitation.

The head coach said: “He played that one game and broke his jaw and he came back and did his knee – there’s not much luck there.

“He’s got to have a full knee reconstruction, same as Brett Waller did.

“He’s going to have to get himself right now and it’s up to him to give it another shot. He’s only a young kid and he’s got a lot of years ahead of him so he should do it.”

Hardcastle is on the NHS waiting list but has an appointment booked with North East-based knee specialist Shaun O’Brien, the surgeon who worked with the Brisbane Broncos in Australia, and who has operated on players such as Aussie ace Shane Webcke.

Mr O’Brien also performed Knights prop Waller’s knee reconstruction and oversaw his relatively rapid return to action.

Woods added: “Benn’s young so will hopefully heal pretty quickly so he should give it another go.”

Full-back Sam Lynch, who likewise has seen his career stall at Huntington Stadium due to injury, is also booked in to see a specialist about his recurring hamstring problems.

Elsewhere, winger Dennis Tuffour returned from his loan at Hunslet with an ankle problem which rules him out of training for a week.

Half-back Jonny Presley missed Tuesday’s training with a shoulder injury but he should be back involved tonight.

Forward Matt Barron out of action since mid-April after fracturing a bone in a foot in training, also returns tonight and will do a light session, but he is still a few weeks away from a playing recall.

Reserve players Davey Burns, Joe Hemmings and Dan Bent have minor niggling injuries but they should be okay for next Thursday’s rearranged reserves match against Oldham, and otherwise the Knights have a clean bill of health ahead of the vital Co-operative Championship relegation six-pointer at Dewsbury Rams a week on Sunday.

Woods’ men have been given this weekend off but will train tonight, and Tuesday, Thursday and, probably, Saturday next week as they gear up for the clash at the Tetley’s Stadium.

They will also be on duty tomorrow night for the supporters’ club’s fundraising race night in Bar 13 at Huntington Stadium in benefit of Jordan Rice.

As reported by The Press, Rice, the 2010 reserves player of the year who made his first-team debut against Leigh three weeks ago, has been picked for the Great Britain & Ireland Students side that will tour Australia later this month but he needs to raise £1,500 to fund his inclusion.

The ‘Knight at the Races’ starts at 8pm, with the bar open from about 7pm, and fans are urged to go down.