HUNSLET coach Kyle Trout is sparking fresh belief throughout the club after a tough season.

So says new arrival Bailey Aldridge as he looks forward to getting stuck into preparations for 2026.

Promoted from League One in 2024, Hunslet toiled their way through 2025, winning only two of 24 Championship matches.

They would have been in danger of dropping back to the third tier had the two divisions below Super League not been merged and so provide a reprieve.

Trout stepped up from assistant coach after Dean Muir departed the club in June, and has been busy reshaping the squad.

Former Leeds Academy and Reserves hooker Aldridge, 21, has returned to his home county after two seasons at Oldham.

He played 18 times in 2024, when Sean Long’s side were like Hunslet promoted from League One, and 13 times this year, when the Roughyeds finished fourth in the Championship.

Aldridge, originally a product of the Batley Boys club and an Academy Grand Final winner with Leeds in 2022, has penned a twelve-month deal.

And he explained: “When Hunslet came knocking and I sat down with Kyle, I was sold. The vision and passion he has for the future is something special and that really excited me.

“I am looking forward to getting stuck into pre-season and meeting all the lads and I am confident we can build a great culture and have a good year.”

Trout added: “Bailey is someone I have been watching for a while, seeing first-hand his professionalism and competitive nature.

“He is an instinctive footballer with bags of potential, and we are looking forward to having him in our environment and developing him further as a player. I know he will give everything he has to the team and jersey.”

That jersey will be manufactured by Ellgren, the club’s kit supplier for 2026.

Meanwhile former loan forward Zach McSwiney has joined from Leeds, signing a twelve-month contract, while centre Myles Harrop has arrived from Rochdale on a deal to 2027.