York City Knights and Sheffield Eagles coaches shortlisted for top award

Ford has earned plenty of praise for the manner in which entertaining part-timers York worked their way up to a third place finish following promotion from League 1.

Aston, meanwhile, saw Sheffield win the inaugural AB Sundecks 1895 Cup at Wembley.

Three Toronto team-mates are in the running to be crowned Championship Player of the Year at the competition’s annual awards evening in Manchester next Tuesday.

Hooker Andy Ackers, full-back Gareth O’Brien and the former St Helens and Great Britain loose forward Jon Wilkin have emerged as the most admired players from a poll of the 14 Championship coaches.

Former Hull KR hooker Joe Cator is shortlisted for Championship Young Player of the Year award following his exploits with Leigh Centurions along with Swinton Lions’ Matty Ashton and Widnes Vikings’ Keanan Brand.

Whitehaven duo Marc Shackely and Dion Aiye, Oldham’s Danny Langtree - who joined mid-season for Hull FC - and Newcastle Thunder’s Nick Newman are the frontrunners for Championship Player of the Year.

Whitehaven’s Gary Charlton, Oldham’s Scott Naylor and North Wales Crusaders’ Anthony Murray are up for the coach’s award.

Castleford-born Alex Clegg, a Northumbria University student playing for Newcastle Thunder, plus Whitehaven’s teenage wing Andrew Bulman, Workington’s Caine Barnes, North Wales’ Callum Hazzard and Coventry Bears’ Jacob Jones compete for the Young Player of the Year.