So far Borough have won all three of their home games, but have failed to impress on their travels and have lost all four matches away from Fortress Fengate.

Newly-promoted Kettering are finding life tough at the higher level and in their last two matches have conceded a whopping 116 points - 66 last week against league leaders Luctonians and 50 the previous week at Chester.

Borough beat Luctonians a fortnight ago - the only team to do so this season - so on current form the odds are slightly in their favour.

"We also see this as our local derby so there'll be a lot of pride at stake," said Borough manager Paul Freeman.

"If our guys are not enthusiastic about playing against Kettering then they shouldn't be putting their boots on. It's a big game for us and we need to hit them hard from the start.

"Kettering have had a couple of bad results so we should take some confidence from that as well.

"Last week at Broadstreet, who are a very good side, we stopped playing for 20 minutes in the second half and they scored 21 points. We must not let that happen against Kettering."

Three of Borough's Lithuanian players - Gedis Marcisauskas, Marius Andrijauskas and Aleks Ciuchlejus - are all away on international duty this weeked. They play Andorra in a World Cup qualifier and are replaced by Chris Kells, Ben Crooks and Pete Goodley respectively.

A fourth change from last week sees Chayne Loades come in for his second senior outing of the season in place of Joel Burpitt.

"Once again it's horses for courses. Last week we went for bulk, this week we go for mobility, which is why Chayne gets the nod," added Freeman.

Borough's selectors will be keeping a close eye tomorrow on the second team back row, where all three players - Phil Beaumont, Sam Crooks and Saad Sait - are pushing for first team places.

Sait (17) has scored four tries in each of his last two games for the seconds while Beaumont, a teacher who has just moved to the area from Mansfield, looked very promising on his club debut for the thirds last week.

There's a big game at Bretton Park tomorrows as Peterborough Lions entertain Daventry in a top-of-the-table clash in Midlands East Division Four (South). Unbeaten Daventry are top, two points clear of second-placed Lions.

English Clubs Championship fixtures:

Midlands Division One: Kettering v Peterborough.

Midlands Division Three East (North): Bakewell v Spalding.

Midlands Division Three East (South): Huntingdon v Lutterworth.

Midlands Division Four East (South): Deepings v Rugby St Andrews, Peterborough Lions v Daventry.

Midlands Division Five East (South): Oundle v Oadby.

Midlands Division Six East (South): Anstey v Stamford, Westwood v Thorney.

Peterborough 1sts (away to Kettering 1sts, meet 11.15am): Beall, Kells, Bloodworth, Guseinov, Goodley, Low, Humphrey, Hodges, Cook, J. Clarke, B. Crooks, Phillips, Meadows, Loades, Brudnell. Subs: Cade, Burpitt, Dewdney.