FOLLOWING the traumas of last weekend, Chester-le- Street will not be relishing their trip to Jesmond this morning when fate decrees they will be taking on the bottom club for the second week running.

After suffering their first league defeat for almost two years at the hands of Tynemouth, who at the time were propping up the rest, the Cestrians now play Newcastle, the side who fell to the foot of the table partly as a result of Tynemouth’s stunning success.

But at least Chester know they will not come up against the toe-crunching hostility of a rampant Shahid Nazir who shattered them last week with a sustained display of in-swinging guile that threatened their leadership of the league. Fortunately for the Cestrians, South North also demonstrated some fallibility so not too much damage was done with the champions hanging on to a 20 point lead.

Of further comfort to Chester is the knowledge that the similarities between Newcastle and Tynemouth end with the link to the relegation slot. The former bottom club had shown good form with two wins in three matches before the Ropery Lane romp confirmed their dramatic improvement, while Newcastle have been in free fall since a promising start to the season and go into today’s match with five successive defeats haunting them.

Chester’s keeper, David Wilson, is unavailable for the game so under-17 stumper Chris Martin is handed an opportunity.

There is a slight chance that Luke Evans could be fit to return, but the odds would suggest that is more likely to be next week, while another man facing a late fitness test is Graeme Cessford who picked up an injury in a RAF game.

There is no surprise that Stockton’s run of good form, which now extends to three undefeated matches, has coincided with some outstanding performances from Sri Lankan Malintha Gajanayake who, after a subdued start to the campaign, has suddenly burst into life to such an extent that he has risen rapidly through the League’s batting and bowling ranks.

His 443 runs put him 15th in the run maker’s charts, whilst his 29 wickets in 14 matches places him 7th in that list. Just under half of those runs and wickets have come in the last two matches and Gajanayake takes this brilliant form to Ashbrooke this morning where Stockton will be looking to continue their move away from the danger zone.

Hosts Sunderland brought their own disastrous run to an end last week when they defeated Newcastle to avoid a sixth successive defeat, but they will be missing Chris Rushworth today as he is on Durham duty. Craig Burdon, who has been racking up the runs in the Wearsider’s second team, earns his promotion.

Tynemouth were on cloud nine after the dramatic goings on at Ropery Lane, but they still have work to do as they strive to put some distance between themselves and the bottom slot. And they face another real test today when they entertain thirdplaced Durham Academy, although their team is strengthened by the availability of Scott Borthwick, with Josh Koen drafted in to replace Richard Straughan.

Elsewhere Kyle Coetzer returns to the Blaydon side that entertains unchanged South North, Hetton Lyons have to reckon without Jon Malkin and Ian Male with David Metters and Robert Talbot earning call ups against a Gateshead Fell side who have Richie Steel returning for Phil Dicks, and youngsters Jonny Turnbull and Jack Clark play for Benwell Hill against a full-strength South Shields.