Darlington will be wary of a backlash from Sheffield tomorrow after beating them 67-5 in their first home match in North Division One.

The former National League club have improved since then and are only five points behind Darlington, who cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to have any chance of playing in the promotion play-off.

They are also likely to be dependent on Halifax winning at Hull Ionians, but will have to wait until next month for that match to take place. It was scheduled for tomorrow, but Halifax are away to Hertford in the Powergen Intermediate Cup semi-final.

Darlington have also discovered that they will have to wait until Tuesday, April 9 to play their Durham Cup semi-final at home to the winners of the Consett v West Hartlepool tie.

That match will now be played the previous Tuesday after being pushed back from March 23, when West have a rearranged league game at home to Doncaster.

Middlesbrough should record their fourth win of the season at home to the only club below them, Wigton.

But even that won't do Boro much good as three are likely to go down and the two sides just above them play each other.

With four games left after tomorrow, Boro still have to go to Hull and Chester and it is going to take a dramatic improvement in form to save them. Skipper Richard McRae, still not fully fit, sits out the next two games, so Ben Pattinson will be at No 8 with Dean Gardner at blind side.

Hooker Richard Horton returns, but Andy Micklewright is needed for police training, so Danny Poole is on the wing.

West Hartlepool have no game tomorrow, but the region's three other National Division Three clubs are all at home.

Darlington Mowden Park will be without centre Mark Wilkinson for the visit of Nuneaton because he is needed in his fitness role with Newcastle Falcons for the Powergen Cup semi-final at Northampton.

Tynedale can make certain of avoiding relegation by winning at home to second bottom Sandal, while Blaydon entertain Bedford Athletic, who haven't won away from home this season.

Former Mowden players Tasi Tuhana and Jonny Golightly will both start the match after being on the bench last week.

Nick Gandy is likely to switch to the wing at the expense of James O'Malley, who is going to the United States and might not be available next season.

Iain Dixon makes his comeback after injury in the seconds, who are going to Hull Ionians as scheduled opponents Alnwick have opted out.

In the crowd for the match at Crow Trees will be 92-year-old Tom Bullerwell, who played at centre for Blaydon in 1945-46 and now lives at the foot of Bedford Athletic's ground. He will be accompanied by his son Ian, a former international referee.

Stockton welcome back Wayne Brown and Andy Cowell in the back row for the visit of second-placed Huddersfield in North Two East.

Nicky Poole returns at scrum half, Joe Green is back on the wing for Andy Bare and centre Matt Reynolds retains his place following last week's debut.

Northampton have left British Lions prop Tom Smith and England hooker Steve Thompson out of their starting line-up to face Newcastle tomorrow.

Coach Wayne Smith has preferred 20-year-old Robbie Morris at loose head and Dan Richmond at hooker. Former Newcastle player John Leslie is at centre.

* Durham School lock Geoff Parling is in the 26-man England squad for the FIRA Under 19 World Championships in Italy.

England's first game is against Romania at Padua on March 21.

Barnard Castle School centre Matthew Tait, who has starred in the school first team this season, is in the England Under 16 squad for training at Cheltenham on March 8-10.