BRADFORD & Bingley may be into what head coach Anthony Posa calls “the gloomy months” but the mood at Wagon Lane is far from gloomy as they prepare to travel to Malton & Norton tomorrow.

The Bees have won their last five matches to climb to fifth in the table in North One East but the hosts are seventh themselves and did the double over their opponents last season.

Posa said of his side’s 31-18 victory over Percy Park last weekend: “We started slowly but that is credit to Percy Park, who are a very good team.

“But once we had got over that 20-25 minutes, we played very well from 30 minutes up to 70 minutes.”

As for this weekend’s test, Posa said: “Malton & Norton are a very good side at home and are a different animal there, as a lot of sides are, and the weather conditions may suit them.

“We need to make our good patches last for longer.”

The Bees are expected to have Tom Bacon back in place of Ali Macdonald, and are expecting more players to be available for the home game against Bridlington on December 8.

Cleckheaton, who are 11th, must try and pick themselves up for their derby at ninth-placed Morley, having looked to have their home match against Consett in the bag last weekend.

The Moorenders led 37-20 with six minutes plus stoppage time remaining but saw very little of the ball in that period and ended up losing 39-37 to hand the north-easterners their first victory of the season.

Ironically, the two bonus points that Cleck picked up lifted them out of the relegation berths but it was still a golden opportunity missed.

A close match is expected in Yorkshire Division One between Dinnington, who are ninth, and Bradford Salem, who are eighth.

Dinnington are guided around the pitch by former Cleckheaton fly half Jonny West. Salem welcome back full back Ryan Smith after concussion, winger Max Trueman after wrist ligament problems and No 8 Christian Baines (swollen knee).

Bradford Salem (at Dinnington): R Smith, M Trueman, H Hall, C Clough, K Mo ore; D Belcher, J Simpson; M MacDonald, G Griekis, C King, S Gardner, C Anderson, R Green, C Baines, N Fontaine. Replacements: J Ashworth, B Whitaker, J Green.

Next-to-bottom Keighley start their second spell under director of rugby Danny McGee with a winnable home match against Hullensians, who are only two places higher.

Ninth-placed Old Grovians, who managed to get a side out to travel to Goole, losing 83-0 in Yorkshire Division Two, have a home derby in Yorkshire Division Two against Yarnbury, who are two places lower.

Baildon, who had a frustrating 12-6 defeat at home to Castleford last weekend in Yorkshire Division Three, make the short trip to Halifax Vandals.

Robbie Hill, player-coach for the Jenny Laners, said: “We did some really good things but didn’t take our opportunities and gave away some penalties.”

They also had to make some late changes due to Nick Lister’s hamstring injury and Ollie Waddington being called into work at short notice, but both should be back this weekend.”