GREENOCK Wanderers make the long trip to East Lothian tomorrow where they face fellow relegation strugglers Haddington at Neilson Park in a vitally important match in the BT National League Second Division.

For Wanderers the games do not come much bigger than this as a defeat tomorrow would mean the locals lurching ever closer to relegation.

A victory however would be a great boost for the club, and with fellow relegation contenders Livingston likely to be beaten against Kirkcaldy, it would mean Wanderers rising up to third bottom spot with eighth placed Ardrossan firmly in their sights.

Even this early in the campaign, the match has the feeling of a tense relegation battle and Wanderers for once will enter the contest as favourites.

Haddington have been through a torrid time and have not won yet this season.

They have leaked almost 300 points in their seven games to date and were thrashed 92-10 last weekend at Woodside, where a rampant Aberdeenshire side put them to the sword in a 14-try romp.

The hosts’ best result thus far was a narrow 30-29 defeat at home against Kirkcaldy.

Wanderers in fairness have not exactly set the heather on fire either this season and their one victory from seven outings came on, opening day, when they defeated fellow basement boys Livingston.

For the locals it seems to be two steps forward then three steps back these days as they have produced some good displays this season only to disappoint the following week.

Last weekend the Wanderers were comfortably beaten by Whitecraigs by four tries to one but the ‘hoops’ of Greenock arguably produced their best display of the season with some genuine spirit and no little skill at times as they tested their more favoured opponents. Some of the continuity play was impressive, and the senior players in the squad stepped up to the mark and battled bravely in the Wanderers’ cause.

A spirited display along similar lines tomorrow should be enough to secure the spoils and put a much shinier veneer on Wanderers’ season so far.

Despite their precarious position at the bottom end of the table, there is no panic down Fort Matilda way and the management team are quietly confident that sufficient victories can be secured during the remainder of the season to ensure that their second division status is protected come March.

A victory tomorrow though would go a long way to easing any relegation worries and consequently a heavy burden of responsibility hangs on the shoulders of the side that will be entrusted to achieve that win.

Up front, head coach Knox wisely sticks with a tried and trusted formula in the key positions.

Dave Paton and Ryan McGhee will pack down in the front row, and give the Wanderers scrummage a solid platform to build on.

Skipper Murray MacDonald will lock the scrum alongside the experienced Matt Gray and Martin Lavelle will provide the forward momentum off the base with some of his trademark rumbling ball carries. Lavelle’s recent return from injury has been a great fillip for the locals as his aggressive style was missed during his period of inactivity.

The youngster’s ball maintenance in the contact zone is one of his major strengths and he is a player that is trusted implicitly to recycle possession without the fear of being turned over.

Andy McDougall and Kenny Diffenthal continue at scrum-half and first five-eighth respectively, and with the in-form Leigh Tyley and Michael Frizzell looking hungry for action this Wanderers selection should travel with confidence and expectation that a victory will be the end result.

Frizzell in particular posted a strong performance last Saturday and was prominent in taking the game to the opposition with some direct running through the centre channel.

Another positive and hard running display from him tomorrow will go a long way to ensuring Wanderers hold the initiative and engage the opposition on the front foot.

Coach Knox said: “We must be totally focused and confident without being complacent.

“This is a huge game for both teams within the context of the relegation battle.

“We have managed to get some consistency in selection so hopefully we can build on last week’s improvements and do enough to get the win tomorrow.” All winning and losing streaks end eventually and tomorrow would be an excellent occasion for Wanderers to buck the trend of recent weeks and post what would be only their second win of the season.

The rugby action continues on Sunday at Fort Matilda as the youth section host games at mini, midi and under-15s age group level.

The entertainment starts at noon for the minis with the under-15s playing their fixture against a Dalziel/Strathaven select at the Battery Park which kicks off at 2pm.

Wanderers are sponsored by Texas instruments.