THERE will be a very familiar name on YMCA’s teamsheet for next Saturday’s home clash with Redcar.

For a likely candidate in the back division will be none other than one of the Laund Hill club’s favourite ‘sons’, Jamie Marsden!

The former YM favourite, who was one of the 1998 Twickenham ‘stars,’ has just been re-signed as a player who will assist the coaching staff led by Mark Eastwood until the end of the season, with the hope he can help stave off the threat of relegation.

Marsden, (left) who played mainly at centre in his heyday at Laund Hill, moved to join Halifax in 2001, where he helped the Ovenden Park side move up through the Union pyramid.

But in the last year or so, work commitments had restricted him to playing mainly in the second team.

“It became more difficult getting to train with where I now live and, obviously, the lengthy travelling at weekends,” explained Marsden, who has also just become a father for the first time.

“I’m looking forward to returning to the YM. It’s a club I care about, having started at Laund Hill as a junior in the Under 13s through to the Under 15s, when I also played at county level.

“I then left for a couple of years at Old Crossleyans as YM didn’t have any more age groups running at that time, but returned to Laund Hill when I was 20, which is where I stayed until my most recent spell at Halifax.

“Now I’d like to put something back into the club, and feel I still have something to offer.

“It’s going to be a challenge because Yorkshire I is still a very competitive league, but I don’t think there is a great void between the top clubs and the bottom clubs.

“I’ve committed myself at least until the end of the season, and my first aim is to help us stay in Yorkshire I. After that we’ll have a re-think during the summer as to where we are going.”

YMCA did not have a Colts side when Marsden was coming up through the junior set-up, but they do now, and the present side are currently joint second in the Yorkshire Division II table with Yarnbury, and just one point behind leaders Otley.

They have five games remaining this season, the first of which is tomorrow at Laund Hill when they entertain Sandal (kick-off 12.00).

Otley have 26 points, while Yarnbury and YMCA have 25 apiece with Sandal just behind them both.