Tim Sawyer finished the Morpeth match at hooker, taking several balls against the head. It's a postion he is accustomed too allowing the very mobile Jon Boatman to takeover at 8.

There's also back row pace on the bench with England Academy Under 18 Aaron Myers hoping to get his first league runout.

The backs remain the same - but may be under slightly different instructions not to run the ball from their own 22. The dilemma here is that City's full back James Walker is a speedy counter attacker from deep, and a leading points scorer, so nobody will be wanting to kick down his throat.

There is pace in the City backs, but in Lambert and Todd we have too lively runners with Todd in superb form.

West old boy Darren MacKinnon runs the show for Durham, but they will be missing stand-off Kyle who looked a polished performer in the first game at Hollow Drift. City won by 36-17 and yet it had been 22-17 until the last five minutes when they first scored from a forward pass, then from a ball clearly dropped not grounded. [Still we can hardly complain about a forward pass after Chocky's match winning gallop at Alnwick.] Jon Boatman had got us back into the game and we had the home supporters looking a little nervous until those controversial scores.

Since then City have got some notable scalps although they somehow managed to get taught a bit of a lesson at Rovers. They need two points tomorrow to stay in touch with Beverley and Penrith and it promises to be a fascinating game.

West Thomas, Lambert, Edwards, Hodgson, Todd, Moss, Tighe capt], Carr, Sawyer, Robinson, Rudd, Davies, D Boatman, Tones, J Boatman.

Reps: Wallis, Cullinane, Myers.

Durham City 15 James Walker 14 Will Rubie 13 Richard Stanley 12 Richard Knowles 11 Chris Mattison 10 Nick Howe 9 Ben Stevenson 1 Mark Davison 2 Mike Hay 3 Graham Herbert 4 Kevin Showler 5 Chris Wearmouth 6 Howard Johnson 7 Jeffrey Roberts [capt] 8 Darren MacKinnon

Reps 16 Mark Cammiss 17 Mike Powell 18 Graham Thompson