Director of rugby Graeme Sheffield knows that one player’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity as Keighley start their much-awaited SSE North One East league campaign on Saturday at home to Durham City.

A big crowd is expected at Rose Cottage as Keighley make their bow following promotion from Yorkshire One but they will be without EIGHT squad members.

Sheffield said: “Flanker Tom Lowther could be out for the season as he needs a second knee reconstruction, winger Sam Walker will be out for six to eight weeks as he has aggravated the knee injury he suffered in the play-off match at Alnwick and needs to rest it or it will reoccur, and fly half Alex Brown has broken a hand and will be absent for four to six weeks.

“Second row Ian Buckley is waiting for information from a specialist about a knee injury and will be out for the same amount of time, and full back Rob Wilkinson has torn a calf and will be out for a fortnight.

“Prop Ollie Sugden should be absent for about the same amount of time with a hip injury, while forward Stuart Inman could be out for four to six weeks after a knee clear-out operation which hasn’t gone as well as expected.

“Also, 19-year-old winger Jake Hill, who scored a try against Bradford & Bingley last Christ-mas, will be out for three to four weeks with a shoulder injury.

“That is quite a list and, while I would not call it a crisis, it has made it very difficult.

“But we have an extended squad this season and some of the lads who have come in from the second team have done well in the pre-season games.

“We are looking forward to Saturday and there should be a good crowd cheering us on.”

It is just as well also, given an injury list as long as head coach Dave Lister’s arm, that players have rejoined the Rose Cottage outfit.

The mercurial Matthew Langstaff, who has formed a potent pre-season centre partnership with Ben Blackwell and has returned to Utley from playing rugby league with Silsden and Cowling Harlequins, is an option at full back, while Adam Sutcliffe is back from Huddersfield and is a likely candidate for the wing.

After a 50-7 defeat at home by Yorkshire Division One Huddersfield YMCA and a 38-7 home victory over old rivals Bradford Salem, from Yorkshire Division Two, Keighley finished their pre-season games last Saturday with a 27-3 defeat at National League Three North Bradford & Bingley in the Peter Harrison Memorial Trophy contest at Wagon Lane.

Sheffield said: “A number of our players impressed, including the props, second rows and the backs, including Marco Ferrazzano and Ben Blackwell.

“But we didn’t have Danny McGee playing, which was a big loss.”

Keighley, even though they have gone up to level six in the English rugby union pyramid, are adamant about not paying players.

However, those that play their rugby at Rose Cottage will soon have a ‘bonus’.

Sheffield revealed: “We have just been given planning permission to build a gymnasium on to the end of the changing rooms.

“The overall cost will be about £20,000 and it will be something for the lads to use who play down there, as well as meaning they don’t have to go elsewhere to benefit.”

Keighley (home to Durham City): M Langstaff; A Sutcliffe, B Blackwell, M Ferrazzano, L Carter; D McGee, D Lester; P Sinfield, W Armitage, G Fletcher, J Hannah, R Clarke, S Brown, S Dyson, L Sugden. Replacements: C Spencer, M Phillips, A Waligura.