DARLINGTON Mowden Park coach Danny Brown hopes Tynedale's losing run will end at 13 matches, the figure it is expected to reach at The Northern Echo Arena today.

“It's good to have derby matches and it's very pleasing that we've sold all our hospitality and should have a good crowd during the Six Nations Championship.

“We don't want Tynedale to go down. They are a good bunch of lads and I hope it's a good game.

“They have the New Zealand flanker Dan Temm back after Newcastle loaned him to Rotherham for a while. He's a very good player who will go on to bigger things and we will have to keep an eye on him.”

Sadly for Tynedale, they suffered three more casualties last week and will be deprived of the valuable services of 21-stone prop Mark Irving, who is on the bench for the Falcons today.

After a recent committee meeting Tynedale issued a statement saying they were determined to avoid relegation and would give full support to their management team.

However, it is almost certainly too late and after almost a decade in which he has achieved great things as head coach Cumbrian Tom Borthwick's position must come under scrutiny.

For the last few seasons Tynedale have suffered an inordinate number of injuries, which raises questions about their training methods. They have also lost a lot of games after leading at half-time.

The three players who went down last week, scrum half Matty Outson. lock Graeme Dunn and prop Alex Westgarth are unlikely to play again this season.

But they do have experienced fly half Gavin Beasley available, which means there is unlikely to be a direct clash between Mowden's No 10 Grant Connon and his teenage brother Brett.

Mowden are eighth after one of their best victories of the season last Saturday, when they won 33-10 away to fifth-placed Fylde, who were the last team Tynedale beat in early November. That 9-8 win came the week after their their 50-point trouncing at home to Mowden.

Incredibly, Tynedale won five of their first six games before injuries exposed their lack of depth and Brown said: “We also had some bad luck with injuries, but we had tried to make sure we had strength in depth.

“We changed the side quite a bit early in the season to give everyone a chance at this level. Now we know what the players can do and we have benefited from a settled side in the last few weeks.

“It means we can't keep everyone happy and Chris McTurk is taking a break. He has a lot on work-wise but he knows the door is always open and I'm sure he'll be back.”

Mowden are unchanged, which means Garry Law continues at 12 after his comeback last week and Jack Allcock stays at open side, with Callum Mackenzie on the bench.

Tom Hodgson also has to settle for the bench, but Brown said: “He has played really well and was the catalyst for settling Grant back in at fly half.

“Andrew Cox has done well since he came in at No 8. He's a solid player and has adapted really well to very different conditions from what he's used to in Australia. He'll be here until mid-March.”

Two teams who have had a dismal run since the turn of the year meet at Blaydon, where Fylde are the visitors.

Blaydon are without two of their most influential forwards in No 8 Jason Smithson, who could be back next week, and hooker Matt Hall, who is resting back and shoulder injuries.

The return of Harry Bate has compensated for Smithson's absence, although it is feared he will be lost to the club once his student days end this summer.

Newcastle Falcons duo Tom Penny and Will Witty are available, with Penny partnering Craig Willis at centre and Witty alongside Chris Wearmouth in the second row, allowing skipper Keith Laughlin to switch to blind side. Gavin Jones is at No 8.

It is a rest day lower down the leagues, but Westoe host Billingham in a rearranged National Three North match which the South Shields club will be desperate to win.

They are nine points adrift of safety and need to avenge a 25-6 away defeat in October against a team who will look to continue the high-tempo finish which earned them two bonus points last week. They were well adrift at home to Waterloo but finished only two points behind at 47-45.