SCARBOROUGH travel to Bower Fold tomorrow to take on fellow strugglers Stalybridge Celtic in a vital Nationwide Conference relegation game.

If manager Russell Slade's team are successful with their appeal against the three-point deduction imposed by the Conference, his side stand just four points behind Paul Futcher's outfit and this is the sort of game that must be won.

"It is important to us - as all our remaining games are - but it would be very nice to close that gap even more," said Slade.

He was hoping to name the same side which beat Barnet 3-0 last week, but Slade has been forced into one change with the absence of centre-back Richard Dryden.

His loan spell from Luton Town expired last weekend and Slade is waiting to hear whether Dryden is going to have a further loan spell or leave the Kenilworth Road club in a permanent deal.

"It is obvious he is not in Joe Kinnear's plans down there, so we are hopeful that something can be sorted out. If the deal doesn't happen, then I shall try and get a dominant defender from elsewhere."

If no replacement is found, it is likely that French defender Romain Faure will step in.

Scarborough from: Woods, Blunt, Rennison, Shepherd, Faure, Patterson, Stoker, Jordan, Pounder, Shields, Rose, Jones, Baker, Stamp, Smith, Sherwood.

Updated: 12:13 Friday, January 04, 2002