YORK City Knights have signed Mike Kelly from League 1 rivals Doncaster, whilst also retaining the services of Jake Normington, Brad Delaney, and Adam Swift all on new one year deals.
On the new recruit, the 28 year old Kelly has previously played for Hunslet, and Newcastle, and has now moved to the Knights from League One rivals Doncaster.
On his move to York, Kelly said: “I’m looking forward to a fresh start and joining a club that’s on the up. Hopefully I can help the team go one better than last year and secure promotion to the championship.
“Fordy is creating a really good environment at the club for players to progress, and I’m looking forward to being a part of that.”
On his new signing head coach James Ford commented: “Mike has endured some bad luck with injuries that have hindered his progress over the last few years. We’re confident that our outstanding conditioning and medical team can help Mike get back to the top of his game.
“He has got a fantastic attitude towards learning and hard work and he’s excited by the challenge in front of him. Mike is a very solid defender and selects his lines very intelligently in attack, I’m looking forward to facilitating some developments in his game as he competes for a position in our back row. I’m confident that we’ve brought in a player who will add to the environment and the team.”
On the players to sign new deals, Ford continued: “Adam deserves another year, he trained to a good level and showed some positive signs. His injury was unfortunate, but I expect him to return to the levels he was striving for very soon.
“He’s defensively strong and he’s a big kid, he will be a big guy when he fully matures, he’s certainly got plenty of potential.
“Brad will provide us with some quality cover and competition for places in the halves, if he brings a positive attitude and trains to the standards he knows I expect of him however, then there’s no reason why he can’t make a starting jersey his own.
“Jake was a standout performer for Hunslet since he returned to the professional game from East Leeds. I’m impressed by his attitude and I’m sure his direct running style will make him a firm fans favourite at Bootham Crescent in 2018.”
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