WINGER Leroy McKenzie has been dropped from the York Wasps line-up for tomorrow's visit of basement club Gateshead (3pm) - despite nearly making the Northern Ford Premiership's 'Team of the Month'.

The former Hull wideman was the only Wasps player short-listed for the league's select thirteen for December, eventually missing out to Featherstone's Jamie Stokes and Keighley's Jason Lee in the wing slots.

But Crooks believes the crowd-pleaser has underperformed so far this season and has decided it's time to wield the axe.

The former Hull wideman has scored just one try in six Northern Ford Premiership games this season - coming in the 20-20 Boxing Day draw with Hunslet - and loses his place as the Wasps chief shuffles his pack.

Paul Butterfield switches to left-wing with half-back Gareth Oulton moving to the right flank and Chris Allen to right centre. McKenzie doesn't even make the bench.

New recruit Rich Darling, signed this week from Heworth, comes straight in at full-back replacing the departed Jamie Benn, while New Zealander Lee Hutchinson and stop-gap prop Phil Young, who also joined the club this week, start on the bench.

Forward Darren Crake, who joined from York Acorn in time for last week's postponed match against Sheffield, goes straight into the team.

Crooks said: "I've spoken to Leroy about it. There are certain areas of his game that we've not been pleased with, and because we've got numbers in the squad again we can put other faces in.

"If players aren't playing as well as I think they can, we have to address the situation. He's accepted the decision and knows what the mistakes are and the fact there are a couple of things we need to work on."

Crooks said he considered making a few more changes now that he has brought some new faces into the squad.

"We have so far had our hands ties and had to play the fit players, but that is not conducive to getting players to play well every week," he told the Evening Press.

"Players need competition for places because if they've got someone breathing down their backs they don't get comfortable. Some of our players have become too comfy in recent weeks when we haven't had anyone to come in, but now we have.

"There could have been a couple of players in Leroy's shoes but he is the unlucky one."

Crooks said, however, that McKenzie was still very much in his plans. "I'm not just picking on Leroy. I've got every confidence in him. He's got bags of enthusiasm, pace and a lot of pluses that can benefit the side, but at the moment the minuses are outweighing the pluses.

"If he works on the things he needs to then he will come back into contention."

"Darren has shown up well in training," said Crooks.

"Given the financial state of the club, it's hard for us to attract experienced and proven NFP players who are proven at this level so we're looking for people like Darren to show they've got ability to play at this level."

Matt Mulholland is still out with while Spencer Hargrave has not fully recovered from a broken thumb suffered last month. However, the latter did train on Thursday and could be fit for next week's Challenge Cup test against Oulton.

NFP newboys Gateshead have lost each of their five NFP games this season - four of which have come against sides in the top seven - and are rooted to the foot of the table.

However, they won 12-10 at Huntington Stadium in a trial match a week before the campaign kicked off and are hopeful of getting points on the board.

"This is a great chance for us to get off the mark," said coach Andy Kelly, who has ex-England junior Andy Grundy available at prop and Roy Southernwood at hooker, both having recovered from injuries that would have ruled them out of last week's postponed match against Dewsbury.

York Wasps: Darling, Oulton, Allen, Lloyd, Butterfield, Handley, Stephens, Forsyth, Pallister, Hagan, Austerfield, Crake, Ramsden. Subs: Dobson, Moore, Young, Hutchinson.

Gateshead: from Brown, Field, McGibbon, Hall, Williamson, Dyson, Gambles, Mervill, Southernwood, Grundy, Coulton, Parker, Derose, Lister, Roberts, Garside, Sebine, Thorman, Rutherford.

Updated: 10:40 Saturday, January 20, 2001