DONCASTER coach Richard Horne reckons new signing Cory Aston is ready to make up for lost time as he tries to help steer the South Yorkshire team to the play-offs.
That’s the aim for the ambitious club, who have had successive eighth-place finishes in the second tier since coming up from League One and are looking to make their mark in the merged lower section.
Aston, 30, ended a three-season stint at Sheffield to move to the Eco-Power Stadium side on a two-year contract and is set to play alongside Connor Robinson, who is heading into his fifth season with the Dons.
A product of the old Sheffield Academy, he has had various spells with the Eagles and also been at Leeds, Castleford, London Broncos and Halifax during his career.
Injuries restricted him to 17 games last season, and Horne said: “I don’t think he ever really got going properly.
“Cory has come in fresh, hungry to play and ambitious, and it’s our job to get the best out of him and put a bit of spark back into him.
“He’s a very experienced player who has been in Super League as well as the Championship and knows what the game is about.
“Like the other lads we have signed, he had options, but we told them all of our ambition to make Super League, and I think the things we spoke about excited them.”
Doncaster have also signed fullback Tom Holmes from Bradford, prop Muizz Mustapha from Castleford and three players from troubled Featherstone – centre James Glover, who played alongside Aston at Sheffield, hooker Connor Jones and prop Gadwin Springer.
Horne’s side have a pre-season game at home to Bradford on Sunday, January 11 before opening their Championship campaign against Halifax at the Eco-Power a week later.