Leeds Knights forward James Archer bows out having finally realised ambition he started out with five years earlier

The 35-year-old forward was in at the very start of semi-pro hockey in the city when he signed up Leeds Chiefs under player-coach Sam Zajac in the summer of 2019.

That first season was a baptism of fire for all involved at the Chiefs – owned by Elland Road rink owners Planet Ice – with Archer exiting three months into the season and returning to former club Hull Pirates, where he had won a league, play-off and cup treble the previous season.

Ailing Leeds – who never got to play in their own rink until the end of January – finished rock-bottom before the Covid pandemic brought an end to the 2019-20 campaign in early March.

After two years away from the game, last season saw Archer back in Hull for the birth of the Seahawks under the leadership of former Pirates team-mate Matty Davies.

Again it was a tough baptism of fire for all involved – first years generally are – with Hull finishing bottom. As Davies rejigged his roster for 2023-24, Archer was on the lookout for a new team and, towards the end of last summer, he reached out to another former home.

There had been something of a transformation since Archer’s time with the Chiefs, the franchise being bought by Swindon Wildcats’ owner Steve Nell in April 2021 and reborn as Leeds Knights.

A decent first season which brought a fourth-place finish was put firmly in the shade 12 months later under the guidance of head coach Ryan Aldridge, who led the team to a remarkable NIHL National league and play-off double.

In August, Archer earned himself a spot as a late addition on the Knights’ roster and has provided a welcome, experienced presence throughout. But, after announcing his retirement from playing on Monday, he won’t be returning for the 2024-25 campaign.

He bows out a league champion, though, after the Knights retained their regular season title last week. It is something he no doubt hoped he would do when he signed up with the Chiefs five years ago, while his departure from the game could yet be lined with even more silver if the Knights retain their play-off crown in Coventry next month.

“I never thought that it would end this way,” said Archer, who has posted three goals and three assists in 38 appearances for the Knights. “It's going to be emotional, but I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to see it out with.

"The set up here, the way the club's going and the direction it is going, it's a club for the future.

"I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to come here and be able to help out with such a great group of lads.”

Archer has been a winner previously in his career, most notably during a six-year spell in the EPL at Manchester Phoenix, where he won two league titles and a play-off championship under player-coach, Tony Hand.

Earlier, he played several games for Coventry Blaze when they won back-to-back Elite League titles under Paul Thompson in 2007 and 2008. The current Knights’ set-up reminds Archer of his time in Manchester.

“I was there for six, maybe seven seasons and I picked up the league trophy twice and the playoffs once,” added Archer. “So I’ve been very fortunate in my career to lift silverware.

“Some guys go through their whole careers without having that feeling, but the group of guys here is very similar to when I was in Manchester.

“You’ve got a core group of guys and they are all very close-knit and it was like that at Phoenix – this club now has that same feel.

“It’s very nice to have been involved in what we’ve achieved this season and I feel very fortunate that Aldy gave me that opportunity to come here and help out a bit with the younger guys.

“It is a young team but they are such a great group of lads.”

NIHL National play-off dates – Friday, April 5: Leeds Knights v Hull Seahawks; Sunday, Apr 7: Hull Seahawks v Leeds Knights; Saturday, Apr 13: Bees IHC v Hull, Peterborough/Telford v Leeds; Sunday, Apr 14: Leeds v Peterborough/Telford, Hull v Bees IHC; Saturday, Apr 20: Leeds v Bees, Hull v Peterborough/Telford; Sunday, Apr 21: Bees IHC v Leeds, Peterborough/Telford v Hull.