KEIGHLEY, as seems to be normal these days in rugby union, will have a much-changed line-up on Saturday when they return to action in Yorkshire Division One.

Out are hooker Ryan Gibson (preparing for a crucial schools' match), prop Sam Booker (lambing), full back Jake Duxbury and centre Allan Ebbrell (shoulder) for the home game against Middlesbrough, but back into contention come lock Stuart Inman (flu and work), winger Joe Copperwaite and centre Sean Kelly.

Copperwaite has been suffering from a back injury, while director of rugby Russ Gibson added: "We also hope to have Adam Horsfall returning in the centre, but that depends on how he recovers from suffering a poke in the eye in training."

This is the third meeting between the teams this season, with fifth-placed Boro having won in successive weeks in November – 29-23 at home in the league and 22-5 at Rose Cottage in the quarter-finals of the Yorkshire Shield.

"We feel that we owe them a performance from our end," admitted Gibson.

Keighley are ninth but missed a golden opportunity to go eighth when they lost 33-31 at home to bottom club Wheatley Hills almost three weeks ago in their most recent outing.

"I was reviewing the video the other day and it still sticks in my throat a bit," admitted Gibson, "and I find it difficult to believe that we haven't beaten them.

"We played some really good rugby in the first 10 or 15 minutes and went ten points up, and then we didn't play in the same way.

"We rested on our laurels a bit and they threw their big forwards at us and we got sucked into a forward-oriented game which we were never going to win.

"Then in the last ten minutes, with their pack starting to tire, we threw the ball wide again and profited, but it was too little, too late."

Gibson said that the snow caused real problems in terms of training last week.

He said: "We had a gym session last Tuesday but couldn't even get to training on Thursday because of the weather."

Keighley should have been at leaders York last Saturday, and Gibson said: "York were really confident that the game would go ahead.

"They said that there were only two inches of snow on the pitch and that it was soft underneath, but we got a message on Saturday at 8.30am to say that the ground was frozen and the game was off."