Preview: Gateshead v London

Jason Payne, Karl Brandt and Rhys Clarke all remain sidelined for Gateshead as coach Chris Hood prepares his team for the their second game in four days.

Hood rates Tom Wilson’s chances of playing after a back injury as 50/50.

Hood said: “(London coach) James Massara is a great bloke. He’s very astute, he’s been around the game a long time and they’ve got some very good players such as Paul Thorman.

“They’re going to be targeting this as a game they can win but we’re having exactly the same preparation as we’d have for any other game. It’s not a make or break game and we don’t need that pressure on the players.”

Austen Aggrey could feature for the Skolars but Jermaine Coleman will definitely not play.

Massara said: “We don’t target certain games because there’s a genuine belief here that we can compete with anyone in the league.

“Gateshead are going through some struggles but we’ll certainly not disrespect them.

“They’ve got players that are used to the Co-operative Championship, not Championship One, so it’s another step on our learning journey.”