GATESHEAD Thunder will open their new season with a prestigious home friendly against Super League outfit Castleford Tigers.

The Yorkshire side visit the International Stadium on Sunday January 15 for a 2pm kick-off, with Thunder head coach Kevin Neighbour delighted to have attracted such quality opposition to the North East.

He said: “The two clubs have built up a really good relationship over the past couple of years, and we thank everyone at Castleford Tigers for agreeing to the fixture.”

For skipper Jason Payne the Castleford friendly will have special significance, with the forward being a former Tigers player before moving to the North East.

He said: “I am really excited about the fixture. Obviously it is my old club and that always makes it more special. For me it cannot come quickly enough, and it will be a good chance to see how the team is feeling after a tough pre-season.

“It will be our first run out of the year, but it is a great chance to see how everyone performs on the day because competition for places is high and we can’t afford to start slowly in 2012.”

Northern Rail Cup action gets the season-proper underway with a tie at home to Doncaster on February 12, with Neighbour adding: “We’ve got a nice balance of home and then away fixtures, instead of long periods away from home which we have been used to.

“The players are already raring to go, but actually seeing the fixtures gives the both them and the staff a target to aim for.

“Next season promises to be the toughest yet with the fact that four teams are going up, so the competition will be great week-in, week-out, and we will be looking to make an impact from the first game.”

Thunder will be desperate to bounce back from an atrocious last season, in which their only win in all competitions came with a Carnegie Challenge Cup triumph over Yorkshire amateurs Milford Marlins.

Following their Northern Rail Cup opener at the International Stadium they are on the road at Whitehaven in week two, before a trip to York and a home date with Leigh completes their quartet of group games. The top four teams in the two pools of 10 will then progress through to the quarter-finals, with the league season proper getting underway on March 11.

Co-operative Championship One’s opening day sees Gateshead at home to South Wales Scorpions, followed by a trip to Oldham and a home date with Whitehaven.

Paul Stamp, going into his first full year as a Thunder player after joining from York City nights during the last campaign, said: “I am looking forward to the new season.

“When the fixtures get released it creates more of a buzz around the ground, it gives people more motivation to get stuck into training and also gives you a date to start reaching personal and team goals.”

Vying for a place in the side, the hooker added: “There is a lot of competition for places, so it just comes down to attitude and how much you want to play.

“All we can do is train hard. Hopefully the coaching team can see how hard we are training, and reward us by giving us a place in the team.”

Head coach Neighbour has been busily assembling his new squad, with outside-back Josh Neilson among the fresh faces on show. The 19-year-old – both in Cheshire but raised in Australia – landed in the UK three weeks ago.

A former Newcastle Knights player down under, Neilson said: “I was first told about the club by Paul Franze, who I know from my time at the Knights. He told me about how good the club, its fans and the local area are and I was keen to find out more.

“I first spoke to Chris Hood in 2010, but it was back in May when we first talked about me coming over. Since Kevin Neighbour became head coach I have been speaking to him about his plans, the squad he is putting together and how he feels I can fit into that. He has made me really excited about the opportunity and I can’t wait to get stuck into training with my new team mates.”

Neighbour was equally enthusiastic about his new acquisition, stating: “Josh a big, quick athlete with a load of raw talent. I have seen many highlights of him playing, and he has a real good turn of pace and a lot of attacking ability.

“He is part of a squad that is coming together nicely, and we are very happy with the way things are looking.”

Welsh international prop Matty Barron is back on board after a spell at York City Knights, being joined by Dan Mole, Josh Taylor, Scott Woods, Brett Waller and Ryan McBride in the arrivals lounge.