Darren Gough is determined to help Yorkshire reach the semi-finals of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy by beating Essex today in the tie of the round at Chelmsford.

Gough yesterday saw a specialist for a report on his troublesome knee and confirmed first thing this morning that he would be playing in the game.

It will be his first appearance for Yorkshire since September 10 last year when he took three for 15 against Gloucestershire Gladiators at Scarborough in the final Norwich Union League game of the season which Yorkshire won by 70 runs.Matthew Hoggard also took a couple of cheap wickets in that contest and Yorkshire want another similar effort today from their two England pacemen.

Gough checked in at the Yorkshire team hotel in Chelmsford yesterday after travelling to Sheffield for a specialist's report on how his knee was progressing after his second operation.

"He would like me to take a rest after playing so many one-day matches for England recently, but I want to be back assisting Yorkshire today," said Gough.

"It is a very important game and I want us to beat Essex and gain a place in the semi-finals and then go all the way to Lord's."

His England partner Hoggard has already been put to the sword once this season by Nasser Hussain who made mincemeat of him in the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-final game at Chelmsford when the England captain scored 136 not out and Essex won by seven wickets.

Yorkshire coach Wayne Clark, however, has no worries about Hoggard's place in the side.

"He is a wicket-taker and he is always liable to take two or three wickets with the new ball which is what we want to happen today," he said.

"We also want to amend what happened down here in the B&H. Hussain and Ronnie Irani are the important wickets and we cannot afford to let Hussain do to us what he did last time."

Updated: 08:47 Tuesday, July 16, 2002