Neighbour seeks first win for Thunder

Gateshead coach Kevin Neighbour will monitor Joe Brown (ankle) before naming a squad he hopes can secure a first win of the season on the last day of the campaign.

Neighbour said: “It’s the last chance for the lads to try to get a win for themselves and the fans. They’ve stuck with us through a tough season, and it would be nice to finish on a high.”

Despite a difficult campaign, Neighbour remains optimistic about the club’s prospects for 2012.

He said: “We’ve already started planning for next year. We’ve started to offer some contracts, and hopefully some of those will soon get sorted.

“It’s very exciting to be coach for next year – it’s an incredible opportunity to hopefully get the club going in the right direction on the playing side of things.

“I’ll take bits from all the people I was able to work with as a player, and hopefully get the team playing how I want them to play.”

On Doncaster, Neighbour added: “They’ve done very well this year. They’ve beaten almost every team in the league at least once, and that’s all been built on a strong defence.”

Doncaster’s Jamie Bovill (hernia) could miss the rest of the season, but coach Tony Miller is hopeful Mick Butterfield will be fit enough to start tomorrow’s game in Gateshead.

Mike Emmett could also feature after recovering from a recent chest problem.