Finally booked a ticket for Sunday. Looking forward to seeing the new team, been a long time since that Huddersfield game in September.

Bit gutted to miss this one, regardless of being a friendly it will (hopefully) be a full tilt match and a rare home friendly too.

Not long enough as far as I'm concerned!

Top quality from big Franklin Pele

Grade A status?

Good interview with Jack Ashworth in today's Yorkshire Post.
Seems really intent on making his mark and proving the doubters wrong.

Broken thumb for Tindall big blow, guess Martin is next up.

Morgan Smith out with a knee strain. Guess we'll go with Hoy and Brown in the halves

Huge chance now for Martin to make that spot his own, i'd suspect Litten may get some minutes there too.

Disappointing to see the Balmforth is missing from the squad (hopefully its for a minor injury so not being risked),if not it seems we may well be going down the flog Houghton for as long as we can again or Smith genuinely sees Cator as the interchange 9.

Yeah looks like
Walker
Litten/Martin
Carlos
Sutcliffe
McIntosh
Hoy
Brown
Ese’ese
Houghton
Ashworth
Sao
Okunbur
Fash
Subs
Cator(interchange at 9)
Pele
Brown
Scott
if Smith fit first game I'd swap him and Cator.

Hope Balmforth has a knock (obviously not a bad one).

Really depressing the thought of Houghton and Cator as our potential hookers.

He does. Something to do with his shoulder apparently. Doesn't confirm if it's the knock he's had for a bit or something fresh.

Edit: that's only something Hull Live have said by the looks of it actually and not a quote from Smith. Although I'm sure if Tomlinson has said it then he knows what's going on.

That whole bench Ellam has put on baring Pele is depressing

Well that's something, where did you read that, was it this week, as knew he was out last week, but seen nothing about this week.

I don't mind Scott and Brown on the bench TBH.

Brown is ok, Scott is a waste on the bench for me, he either starts or doesn’t make the 17, especially if you’ve already got a utility like a cator/smith on the bench.

Just added an edit to my post.
It's on the Hull Live article (the most recent one about squad news) that he has a shoulder issue, but it's not a direct quote from Smith. However I'd imagine Tomlinson knows what the case is. It's just a single line near the end.
There was talk of him having a knock around the Bradford game which was why he never played against Doncaster, so maybe something that's still troubling him a touch.

Disappointed in Tindall injury. If his thumb is broken what's the timescale ?. Hope Martin gets his chance . Don't see litten as a winger only as an a emergency cover.

No Staverly .Severs. Jebson. Thought at least one of them would be included

Let's hope so, not that I want him injured, just gives some justification for him not making this squad.

Lack of pre season gametime will almost certainly rule him out against Rovers.

That's a bit disappointing, going with Lane instead, who we know about and had a nasty knock last week, would rather see one of the above given a run.

Interesting that Charles has been included over both Medforth and Harman. It's a huge step up for the lad if he gets some game time.

Not sure what the alternative Lane?

Think Scott earnt his place in the 17 last year, will play a different role to Cstor or Smith

Get your point re Lane, I think it just shows the lack of depth and the overall poor nature of the squad. Okunbor and Pele will either be rocks or diamonds. I can’t see any change from previous seasons we will pick up a few decent wins and then fall away final third of the season as usual, finishing 8th-10th.

That hopefully explains Balmforths omission from the squad, must admit to being concerned as Balmforth wasn't mentioned anywhere when I first saw the report despite reporting on other omissions through injury.