HUDDERSFIELD’S Director of Rugby Mark Sowerby is determined to make home advantage count, starting tomorrow with the visit of Bradford & Bingley to Lockwood Park (3.00), as he aims to lift the side after a run of poor results.

Winless since January 3 when they beat Halifax at Ovenden Park (their only victory in seven outings), Huddersfield have gradually slipped down the National III North table, and Sowerby, who is also head coach, is anxious to reverse the trend.

“Starting tomorrow, we have six League games to fit in at home before the end of the season, which is quite unusual, and I want to see us return to the sort of form which made us so dominant on our own patch,” admitted Sowerby.

“We’ve dropped down the table after a disappointing run of results, and our position does not reflect the effort and hard work we put in before Christmas.

“We have lost a bit of rhythm in recent matches, but now we have to improve our focus and concentration. We’ve not suddenly become a poor team overnight, so now we need to pick up our game.

“I know that Bradford & Bingley have improved since earlier in the season, and we certainly need to be some way better than we were last week at Hull.”

Huddersfield came away from Waggon Lane with a 25-25 draw back in November, but tomorrow will face their visitors without influential fly-half Chris Johnson, who is in Dublin with the English Counties side for the game against Ireland.

Ben Paxman is rapidly becoming Huddersfield chief utility back, and has now been moved up from full-back (having been converted from centre) to fill the No10 role.

“Ben can play at fly-half, and he will have the benefit of the experience of scrum half Damian Clayton alongside him,” added Sowerby.

Gavin Rhodes suffered an injury at Hull Ionians last week, so George Hinchliff will start in the second row alongside Ben Harris.

The only other alteration is on the wing, where Academy player Matt Clarke, who last featured in the game at Caldy, starts, with Alex Shaw moving to full-back.

Huddersfield: Shaw; Clarke, Paxman (L), Mortimore, Johnson (M); Paxman (B), Clayton; McPhail, Gough, Stringwell, Hinchliff, Harris, Jacobsz, Whithead, Sharpe. Subs: Slater, Hinchliffe, Davies, Sowerby, Ramsden.