VICTORY at home to Old Albanians today is likely to see Darlington Mowden Park crowned North-East top dogs in National One ahead of next week's final match at Blaydon.

After losing at home to Esher, Blaydon can hardly expect to win away to a Hartpury Students side who ran in nine tries in winning 59-31 at Old Albanians last week.

The St Albans club will be desperate to get something out of today's game as they occupy the third relegation spot, one point behind Cinderford, who visit bottom club Macclesfield.

Like Mowden early in the season, Albanians have had five points deducted for fielding a player who was not properly registered.

Jack Allcock, Gareth Nesbitt and Tom Kill return to Mowden's starting line-up in place of Joe Maud, Darren Fearn and Ben Rath.

England Under 18 player Joe Craggs will be on the bench for the first time, with Simon Ozugwe providing prop cover as Darren Fearn is still troubled by his calf injury.

The second team are playing in the Candy Cup final at home to Blaydon and among the first team squad members in the line-up are Maud, Guy van den Dries, Adam Nixon, Jamie Barnard and Joe Nellany.

Blaydon are without prop Robbie Kalbraier and flanker Harry Bate at Hartpury. They are replaced by local lads Trevor Davison and Matthew Jenkinson, who will be making his first senior start since being injured in November. He is seen as next season's successor to Bate, who is moving south.

Player-coach Micky Ward will be on the bench but hooker Matt Hall, who is now fit, is unavailable.

Tynedale, relegated for the first time last week, complete their home programme against Loughborough.

It's the final weekend of the season below National Two other than for those involved in play-offs, such as West Hartlepool's hosts, Sheffield.

Bottom of North One East for most of last season, they avoided relegation through a storming late run and looked like finishing top this season until recently overtaken by Ilkley.

West travel full of confidence after pulling clear of relegation with four straight wins. They have Ryan Painter back at scrum half and Michael Hogan in the second row, so Chris Atkins reverts to the back row.

After suffering play-off agony for the last two years, Guisborough can clinch their third promotion in six years at home to Hartlepool Rovers in Durham and Northumberland One.

Morpeth, three points adrift, visit Consett knowing they are safe in second place and will be at home to Malton and Norton in the play-off.

Guisborough lost their first match of the season at Morpeth and the seventh at Durham City, but have won all 16 games since. Of the 35 players who have appeared, 30 have come up through the juniors.

Darlington will look ahead to their annual junior festival in two weeks after ending their programme away to Novos, while Stockton have skipper Steve Taylor and fly half Jeremy Good back for the trip to Gateshead.

Acklam can clinch promotion back to D & N One by winning at home to North Shields on what has been designated Past and Present Day. Ex-players, officials and supporters are invited to attend from 1.30 and bring along any club memorabilia or old shirts.

Redcar have been in the running all season, but their hopes were dashed by Acklam's last-ditch win at Ponteland last week, when Danny Ashton kicked the winning penalty a minute from time.