WHARFEDALE travel to Preston Grasshoppers tomorrow without their talisman Hedley Verity, inevitably ring-rusty after another week's break and knowing that Lightfoot Green has never been a happy hunting ground.

The Dalesmen are therefore facing another major challenge in a season which looks set to be full of them in a division where there are no easy pickings.

"Missing games because of the Cup is no use to us at all," says coach Peter Hartley. "When you are looking for shape and form you need to be playing. Weeks off are not what we want. We need to build our confidence. Sides playing well don't have to think, making the right decisions comes naturally.

"I thought we played as well as we have played all season against Stourbridge, even though we paid for our mistakes by dropping a point. After that performance we needed to get going again, but instead we had to content ourselves with a training session and 20 minutes against the second team.

"We obviously want to play after missing a week and I'm quite sure that if we produce something like our best form, we can win"."

One player above all the others who will be straining every sinew is flanker Simon Hargreaves, who makes his league debut for the Dalesmen as deputy to Verity, who is ruled out with a continuing neck injury.

The absence of Verity is the only change to what has become the acknowledged No 1 starting line-up.

Wharfedale (at Preston Grasshoppers, 2.15): J Davies; G Smithson, D Whitfield, A Hodgson, C Burnett; A Baggett, G Smith; P Peel, J Lawn, C Ingram, D Lister, D Capper, R Kirkbride, S Hargreaves, P Evans. Replacements: N Dickinson, P Hargreaves, N Heseltine, A N Other.