RONAN Evans will be on familiar ground tomorrow when he makes his first-team debut for Cleckheaton.

The full back has been selected for the National League Three North derby at Ilkley, who he left to join the Moorenders only a week ago and played for their second team last weekend.

Cleckheaton rugby chairman Neil Gillan explained: "Ronan's dad used to go to school with our chairman of selectors, Tudor Evans, and they met up when Burnage came over earlier this month.

"Ronan could not get into Ilkley's first team because of their skipper Josh Kimber at fly half, but he can also play at full back, which is where he will be playing for us."

The chief problem for next-to-bottom Cleckheaton could be in the front row, where Paul Turner is suspended, Andy Piper unavailable and Niall Jackson injured.

"We played 21-year-old Will Denham there last week and he did really well, and we have also recalled the experienced Grant Turton, who used to prop for Heath but has mostly played second row for us."

On the plus side of the ledger, back-rower Tom Austin has recovered from a shoulder injury and is named on the bench.

Gillan added: "Ilkley started the season with a 65-0 home defeat to Sheffield Tigers but they seem to have settled down now and it will be a difficult game."

Ilkley's head of rugby Rhys Morgan isn't calling Ilkley's 29-20 victory at fifth-placed Sheffield last Saturday's their best performance of the season.

However, he did concede that it was their most complete display so far in in 2015-16.

The win lifted the 11th-placed club a remarkable five places up the table and was another triumph borne out of adversity.

Morgan explained: "We had to play Ryan Cooper out of position at full back and bring in Paul Petchey (after six weeks out), and we lost Gus Ramsey (shoulder injury) early on, but Ryan was our man of the match – both for his performance and for playing out of position.

"It was a game that ebbed and flowed. We butchered a few opportunities and so did they but the key message so far this season is not to panic, and we didn't when we went behind.

"We are going to have situations this season when we go down to 14 men, and we even went down to 13 men against Billingham, but I don't want us to think 'we are going to lose' or 'what are we going to do now?'

"For those ten or 20 minutes, I don't want us to lose on the scoreboard. I want us to win by displaying absolute concentration."

Morgan added: "We have now won four of our seven matches, and it should have been five out of seven had we beaten Billingham as we should have done.

"It would be great to make it six wins out of eight by defeating Cleckheaton on what could be a crucial weekend where the top half are facing the bottom half.

"But Cleckheaton are a tough side with a big pack, and it will be good to hook up again with (former England scrum half) Scott Benton, who is on their coaching staff."

Cleckheaton (at Ilkley): R Evans; M Barlow, J Hall, Matt Piper, C Blackburn; Mike Piper, J Bickerdike; G Turton, J Carley, W Denham, R Piercy, J Malkinson, L Pearson, R Piper, J Seddon. Replacements: T Austin, J Crowther, C Mason.