GIVEN a fair wind, Bradford Salem were hoping to continue their gradual improvement season on season in Yorkshire Division One.

Unbeaten in 2014-15, when they came up as Yorkshire Two champions, Salem have finished tenth and eighth and manager Neil Klenk said: “It is a tight division but we were hoping to finish sixth or seventh.

“However, I don’t think that we have under-performed, but we have been handicapped by injuries and changes of personnel and although I hate the phrase, we have a must-win game at home to Wheatley Hills tomorrow.”

The Doncaster club are bottom of the pile on 20 points but it is congested in the nether regions, with Selby on 23, North Ribblesdale on 25 and Salem on 26 with six matches left.

Klenk said: “We need as dry a pitch as possible – fortunately Shay Lane drains well – as Wheatley Hills have one of the best packs in the division, so we will try and get the ball out to our backs as much as possible.”

Salem have Harry Hall back at fly half after concussion and flanker Callum Manchester on the bench after a leg injury.

Keighley will have a much-changed line-up at home to Middlesbrough.

Out are hooker Ryan Gibson (preparing for a crucial schools’ match), prop Sam Booker (lambing), full back Jake Duxbury and centre Allan Ebbrell (shoulder). But back into contention come lock Stuart Inman (flu and work), winger Joe Copperwaite and centre Sean Kelly. 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 Yorkshire Shield quarter-finals.

Bradford & Bingley, who have yet to face five of the current top six in North One East, have brothers Phil and Ben Greaves in harness at Morpeth.

The visitors also have two of their big guns in the backs available in FuiFui Moimoi and Dennis Tuffour.

Bradford & Bingley (at Morpeth): B Greaves; D Tuffour, A McDonald, F Moimoi, A Sutcliffe; P Greaves, D Jeffrey; M Crotch, M Cochrane, R Wederell, T Booth, M Riaz, L Fraser, T Cummins, M Mountain. Replacements: J Exley, I Finau, J Malthouse.

Cleckheaton (at Huddersfield YMCA): J Wilson; M Hayward, M Swetman, Matt Piper, G Fitzsimmons; R Evans, J Bickerdike; P Turner, B Thrower, A Piper, L Pearson, T Barnard, J Carley, J Seddon, J Plunkett. Replacements: B Marsden, L Queeley, T Mobbs.

Bradford Salem (home to Wheatley Hills): R Smith; M Bokiss, M Trueman, A Robinson, J Abram; H Hall, J Simpson; W Collins, A Veitch, G Greikis, B Whitaker, S Gardner, C Wood, C Baines, N Fontaine. Replacements: J Bradbury, C Manchester, C Armstrong.

Wibsey (at Mosborough) from: B Wright, C McParland, Z Butt, M Darragh, M Kite, S Smith, L Helliwell, J Brown, A Rose, R Hall, D Carr, D Wilkinson, M Grimes, L Wilson, C Farley, S Foulds, R Simpson, J Worsnop, S Birkbeck, R Greenwood.