BRADFORD Salem have had some fine teams down the years – but none of them have gone through a league season unbeaten.
That is the tantalising prospect that awaits the SSE Yorkshire Division Two champions if they avoid defeat at ninth-placed Knottingley on Saturday.
“It would be incredible, historical were we to do it,” said Salem’s first-team manager Neil Klenk.
“But Knottingley hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for us, and I can remember when we went to Hessle unbeaten in the 1990-91 season, when we won the Provincial Insurance Cup at Twickenham, and lost by a point when we had two men sent off.
Salem, who have skipper James Cunliffe and Rhys Green back in the second row, will give a late fitness test to prop Simon Davies (knee).
Bradford & Bingley need to beat Dinnington at Wagon Lane and hope that Northern (at Alnwick) or Driffield (at Horden) slip up to avoid being relegated from North One East and facing Salem and a crop of other derbies next season.
“We didn’t do ourselves any favours by losing at home to West Hartlepool last week,” said the Bees’ first-team manager Benji Pickin. They could have Andy Smith and Harry Hall back.
Yorkshire Three champions Old Grovians end their campaign at home to Bramley Phoenix.
Wharfedale (at Esher): T Davidson, L Davies, H Morgan, C Hudson, J Druce; J Guy, J Doherty; M Beesley, D Stockdale, J Armstrong, A Howard, S Willet, J Barnard, J Burridge, D Solomi. Replacements: C Steel, I Larkin, J Altham, J Mason, H Bullough.
Otley (at Sedgley Park): K Sharples; A Beaumont, H Roberts, M Coady, H Hudson; J Mackie, S Depledge; G Burkinshaw, B Steele, M Chivers, J Stannard, S Cook, J Scott-Paul, F Watson, J Armitage. Replacements: J Moss, W Rigg, S Costello, J White, C Gemmell.
Cleckheaton (home to Firwood Waterloo): R Hayden; B Marsden, J Wilson, Matt Piper, M Woodhead; Michael Piper (doubtful), J Bickerdike; P Turner, J Crowther, N Jackson, R Afoa Peterson, R Brown, O Akroyd, R Piper, J Seddon. Replacements: T Austin, A Dawson, B Thrower.
Bradford Salem (at Knottingley): D Belcher; R Smith, D Scarbrough, C Clough, S Savage; A Robinson, J Mitchell; C Wood, A Veitch, R McKessar, J Cunliffe, R Green, D Snowden, J Booth, J Fawcett. Replacements from: C Malarkey, A Hanlon, S Davies, J Ashworth.
Keighley (home to Goole) from: L Everett; Jack Atkinson, D McGee, A Horsfall, L Carter; R Wilkinson, A Ebbrell; C Spencer, W Armitage, D Smith, M Hagyard, T Lowther, L Sugden, S Minikin, J Hannah, E Barker, A Brown, S Booker, J Hill.
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