As we know from previous experience, the second season after promotion can often be the tricky one but that hoodoo has been avoided. We go into this week’s game in fourth place - having missed the chance to close the gap on third place Morpeth after they showed us how to take your chances in last week’s 28-19 defeat.

The top three still all have to play each other, including this week’s top two showdown as Boro host Northern,  so there is still a decent chance we can improve on that position before we start the Papa Johns cup campaign with a trip to Scarborough on April 12^th. It looks like the winner of that tie will host Consett, but you never can tell how the RFU will tweak this cup competition.

Back in October the Firsts made their longest trip of the season to Bower Park. On a breezy day, with the Lake District mountains in the background,  they recorded a 34-17 win with six tries – two from Will Hilditch and the others from Jay Corbett, Owen Nugent Andrew Rollins and Connor McLurg.

As ever with rearranged games a few lads had already made alternative arrangements,  so there's some changes from last week. Zac returns at full back with Ben Reed on the wing.  Peter Youll,  unscathed from the slopes, returns to partner Will Hilditch in the centre with Ollie Connolly away while Mattt Baggs starts at scrum half in place of an unfit Ryan Painter.

In the second row Nick Bennions comes in for Jake Linighan while Isaac Robinson resumes in the back row alongside Charlie Kay and Chris Atkins.

There's a first team debut on the bench for new signing Kieran Scollay, a former Billingham Academy back row cum centre,  who has returned form Bath University where he was also a sevens player. He'll join Liam Pennick and Jacob Wood in the warm up suits.