IN a rare quirk of the fixture list both Darlington clubs are at home tomorrow as they seek to get back on track after a rocky couple of weeks.

Promoted Hull Ionians, who are fourth from the bottom of National Three North, visit Blackwell Meadows, where Martin Howe's return to the back row sees Phil Dawson switch to centre.

After losing badly at Macclesfield in the cup then shipping 41 points away to leaders Nuneaton, Darlington hope Howe's return after a dead leg will give them a lift.

They expect to be without scrum half Rob Stewart until well into the New Year after he had a plate inserted in his broken arm.

At least they have David Andrew to fall back on, although they have had to gamble by naming winger Adam Kibirige as their only backs replacement.

Dawson displaces Ben Snook, who will be told to rebuild his confidence in the second team, while Lee Davies continues at full back and takes over the goal-kicking.

Normally a fly half or centre, Davies did well at full back last week and player-coach Craig Lee said: "That could be his position. It gives him a bit more time and he tackles well. But Apenai Kororua will be available again next week, so it will give us an interesting selection problem."

Lock Michael Taylor has shrugged off the neck injury he suffered last week, so the only other changes are in the front row. Dan Miller and hooker Rob Goddard will start with Joe Oselton and David Taylor on the bench.

Former Hartlepool back row man Stuart Palmer completes the replacements and can expect a good run-out as Del Lewis will shortly be away for a few weeks.

Darlington Mowden Park entertain the other promoted club, Leicester Lions, who started well then faded before winning last week to move back above Darlington into fifth place.

Blaydon will expect to consolidate third place by winning at home to Fylde, who were next to the bottom until they climbed four places by winning last week.

In North One Middlesbrough visit Altrincham Kersal, who have won all four league games but only by narrow margins.

Stockton, who have scored only three tries in five games in North Two East, entertain Hartlepool Rovers, who scored ten last week alone.

Fly half Jeremy Good returns for Stockton, allowing Tom Armstrong to revert to centre and his brother Peter to scrum half.

Tom Jeffery replaces Anthony Parkinson on the wing and prop Gary Skirving returns in place of Ian Fleetham, who has now played first team rugby in four decades.

* Newcastle Falcons expect to have 1,000 supporters at Border Reivers' Netherdale ground in Galashiels for Sunday's European Challenge Cup match (4pm).

Tickets are still available and the Falcons' Supporters Club is running four coaches to the match.

The Falcons have changed their entire front row after last Saturday's win against Brive, with former Edinburgh prop Grant Anderson starting alongside hooker Andy Long and Tino Paoletti.

Lock Andy Buist returns on the bench after a long injury absence, taking the place of Scotland international Stuart Grimes, who after recovering from a leg injury has now damaged a pectoral muscle in training.

* Full back Alex Tait, the brother of centre Mathew Tait, is one of three Falcons players in the England Under 18 squad for Sunday's match against Leinster Youth in Dublin. He is joined by fly half Rob Miller and flanker Aaron Myers.

* Leeds director of rugby Phil Davies is to move sideways in a management reshuffle at Headingley, which will see a new head coach brought in to take charge of first team affairs.

Davies has been with Leeds since 1996 and in ten years he has guided the Tykes from National League Three to the Premiership, the Heineken Cup and last season's victory at Twickenham in the Powergen Cup.

But Leeds have yet to win a game this season, despite the arrival of high-profile summer signings Justin Marshall and Gordon Bulloch.

Davies admitted he can no longer combine the roles of director of rugby, head coach and forwards coach and realised a change needed to be made.

''I have had a long term vision for the club, which has always featured a new head coach position,'' Davies said. ''This is has been a process that we have looked at over the past three years."

Davies has a number of candidates in mind for the job of head coach.