EXPERIENCED duo Alan Pallister and Mick Ramsden will make their long-awaited York Wasps return at Rochdale Hornets tomorrow.

Club captain Pallister has completed a seven-match suspension while Ramsden finally looks to have overcome a long-standing hamstring problem.

Back-row forward Ramsden, who missed much of last season with damaged knee ligaments, has managed just two games this term but has been on the verge of a comeback for the last couple of weeks.

The pair's inclusion, along with half-back Danny Waite and utility back Andy Innes who return from injury, comes as a big relief to coach Lee Crooks.

He would have otherwise been struggling to make up the numbers as several players who figured in last week's defeat by Oldham are missing.

Centre Lee McNichol has an ankle injury, fellow centre Andy Webster hurt his neck in training on Thursday, York University student Gavin Smith has returned home to the north east for the Easter holidays, second rower Luke Judson has quit the club and young utility player Adam Briggs has joined Gateshead Thunder.

Briggs' departure has saddened Crooks but the Wasps boss felt he had no option but to release the 19-year-old.

He said: "Adam was a bit upset he wasn't getting an opportunity to play in the first team.

"It's a disappointment because he was one of the most enthusiastic and professional players we have at the club. He desperately wants to succeed but I think he still has a lot of work to do to achieve that.

"I'd like to think he can go out there and prove me wrong."

Revealing the reasons why Briggs was rarely given a taste of the action, Crooks said: "Even with the limited number of players we've got he wasn't getting a game. I believe his best position is hooker and we're well covered in that position.

"He wants to play half-back but we're quite well covered there as well in terms of players who are better than him in that position. And I don't think he's big enough to play in the back row.

"I didn't think it was fair to throw him in at times when he would get battered."

Another two new faces, both York-based soldiers, could be added to the squad for the trip to Spotland. Steve Lamb, a full-back or centre, and Barry Barnett, a winger or centre, have been training with the Wasps and Crooks was checking on their availability before naming his team.

Crooks is pleased with the Wasps' gradual improvement over the last three matches having analysed the statistics.

The completion rate of sets has gone up from 48% against Chorley to 60% against Swinton and 87% against Oldham last week.

The error count has also dropped from 18 to 11 to just five last week. However, missed tackles have remained around the mid-20 mark in all three games so that is what Crooks has been working on this week.

Having conceded 70 points or more in the last four matches he has set his side a defensive target.

"If you equate the stats to performance then if we concentrate on keeping the completion rate up, the errors down and halve the number of missed tackles then the scoreline will come down dramatically," explained Crooks.

"If we do that there's no reason we can't bring the scoreline down to below 50. That's the goal we've set them and the players can feel fairly positive if they achieve that."

Rochdale coach Martin Hall has strengthened his squad considerably over the last few weeks. That has helped lift them to the brink of a top eight play-off place.

However, good news for York is that Hall is expected to leave out latest star signing, scrum-half Latham Tawhai, and centre Matt Calland.

Paul Ashton and Warren Ayres will battle it out for the vacant scrum-half berth with Sean Cooper a likely replacement for Calland.

Updated: 10:50 Saturday, April 07, 2001