BRADFORD & Bingley’s head coach Hugh Gumbs is balancing the development of his young squad with the frustration of them not taking enough of their opportunities.

The Bees, who sit seventh in North One East ahead of their home derby against Morley, have taken at least a point from all of their matches this season, apart from the defeat against York at Wagon Lane earlier this month.

“We have an incredibly young squad and I have been brought in to develop them, but it is disappointing that we have had our opportunities against better teams and not taken them,” said Gumbs, whose team are hoping to avoid a third straight home defeat.

“We have blown away the mid-range teams but we are not used to playing under pressure, and that is the learning bit.

“Yes we are getting bonus points but we could have scored 20, 30 or 40 more points from our matches this season and haven’t been cut-throat. However, that is character building.

“When the match was 17-17 against Driffield last week, we kicked to their best player in open field.”

Back for the Bees against their fourth-placed visitors, who won 48-7 at Wagon Lane in March, is the influential Ali Macdonald as Simon Mitchell is unavailable.

The Maroons have lost at Malton & Norton and Driffield this season, but triumphed at York.

Fifth-placed Cleckheaton, who have yet to win away from home this campaign, are at leaders Driffield, 24-17 winners at Wagon Lane.

Cleck, who had what player-coach Thiu Barnard called a “comfortable” 38-17 home victory over Durham City last weekend after coming through an early physical battle, are without back-rower Brad Marsden.

On a weekend where most of the Bradford area clubs have testing fixtures, Bradford Salem, who have lost two of their three league matches at Shay Lane in 2019-20, host third-placed Beverley in Yorkshire Division One.

Tenth-placed Salem are missing their pack talisman Rhys Green, who is at his sister’s wedding, and scrum-half Harley Robertshaw, but welcome back Latvian Martins Bokiss, from a trip to his homeland, and the versatile Connor Malarkey.

Expect a high-scoring encounter as Salem’s chairman Neil Klenk explained: “We beat Beverley 45-18 at home last season, scoring seven tries to two, but took a much-changed side there and lost 68-17, conceding 10 tries but scoring three.”

Beverley have won three of their four away matches this season, only losing 31-28 at leaders Old Brodleians, while Salem have lost two of their three matches at Shay Lane.

Keighley, who are two places below Salem, entertain Leodiensian, who are eighth.

Old Grovians, buoyed by their 51-17 Yorkshire Division Two home win over Wath, are at Wetherby, who are ninth, three places below their visitors.

Like Cleckheaton, Wibsey are at the front-runners, this time Knottingley in Yorkshire Division Three.

“We have a strong starting 15,” said Wibsey’s player-coach Andy Robinson, who has already played in four positions so far this campaign.

Harry Hall reverts to centre, while Andy Walker is in the back row, with Mark Darragh, who is due to become a father for the first time, potentially starting on the bench.

Third-placed Baildon are at ninth-placed Ossett, who came up with Wibsey last season.

Baildon had a 28-12 home win over Old Otliensians, and Baildon’s coach Dave Duxbury said: “They didn’t twig that we again had a team full of back-rowers.

“We had Matty Robinson, who is a winger, playing at No 10 and had Harrison Strauss and Matty Dixon in the centres, who are both back-rowers.

“Otliensians tried to run the ball through the centres and there was no way they were getting through, while Josh Strauss was man of the match by a country mile.”

Out for Baildon is Paul McNamara (shoulder), while there is also a big doubt over Dan Cookson.

Wibsey (at Knottingley): R Smith; B Mpofu, A Batey, H Hall, S Smith; A Robinson, K Carter; S Birkbeck, J Brown, J Bradbury, A Cerson, E Cousins, A Jefferson, M Kite, A Walker. Replacements: A Rose, M Darragh, R Greenwood.