Darlington Mowden Park's backs coach Kevan Oliphant is on stand-by to make a shock return at Blaydon today two years after a knee injury forced him to quit.

Mark Bedworth, who took over at fly half before switching to inside centre this season, failed a fitness test on his hamstring yesterday, while South African Michael Georgiou was confined to bed with flu.

It was hoped Newcastle Academy players Stephen Jones and Armaveer Ladhar would be available, but Jones is injured and Ladhar insists he needs to catch up on his studies after recently returning from playing in an Asian tournament for the Indian national team.

If Georgiou is ruled out, Oliphant plans to play, the other option being to move Iain Dixon up from full back.

But that would involve a reshuffle in which Fosita Tanginoa would again have to be taken out of the back row to play on the wing as Andy Foreman has left to join his two brothers at Hartlepool Rovers.

Matthew Brown and Gareth Kerr have been named on the wings, but with no backs replacement there is every chance Tanginoa could end up there, especially as Newcastle Development XV flanker Jason Smithson is available for bench duties.

Blaydon also have problems and are now leaning towards leaving Nick Wainwright at centre and choosing betwee the Windle brothers, Richard and Rob, for the vacant full back position.

It is likely to be Rob, who has previously played on the wing and at centre, as Richard has a badly-bruised arm.

Gavin Stainsby returns to Blaydon's back row, but there are still questions over the fitness of props Fatu Tulaga, who has had a bad bout of food poisoning, and Justin Clarke.

Paul McLaren-Dorrington has done well in their absence and is likely to continue.

Darlington skipper Paul Lee has decided he is fit to return after his hamstring injury for the home match against Bradford and Bingley. But hopes that last week's other absentees, hooker Dan Oselton and winger Fraser Monohan, would also be fit have been dashed. Monohan has had his hand put in plaster and will be out for at least a further two weeks, so Marc Potts returns.

Should Lee break down, Lee Davies will switch from centre to fly half, with David Glendenning providing cover on the bench.

Darlington will be anxious not to repeat the mistake made by Blaydon against Bradford and Bingley last week, when they were in the game for half an hour but then had two men sin-binned in quick succession and shipped 24 points while they were off.

West Hartlepool are without two experienced forwards for the visit of Sandal as Brett Cullinane and Stuart Bennett are injured. With Phil Henderson unavailable, Paul Rudd and Andrew Davies are expected to start, with Anth Carr at hooker.

Rovers have a tough game away to Malton and Norton and plan to switch Gareth Foreman to the wing to make way for his brother Andy in his favourite position of scrum half. He had a season in Blaydon's No 9 shirt when he scored 20 tries but the rest of the backs hardly saw the ball, and Mowden preferred to play him on the wing as an attacking threat.