SELBY RUFC head coach Richard Nicholson will urge his players to take the emotion out of their derby battle with York tomorrow.

The Sandhill Laners host their nearest rivals in Yorkshire One after becoming the first team in more than a year to win at Yarnbury.

Nicholson’s warriors edged a 23-22 victory in Horsforth last weekend and made it two victories from two following the return from the Christmas break.

With confidence on a high after that impressive display, he wants his side to “concentrate on their jobs” and make sure they don’t get sucked into a war of attrition with York as they bid to continue their great start to the new year.

Nicholson said: “Yarnbury hadn’t been beaten at home for 13 months in any competition. That makes it even more special to do that against a team that have been so strong at home.

“It was a great game - very exciting - and there was some good quality rugby. We were delighted to get the win and, hopefully, we can put up another good performance against York.

“Everyone is very motivated when we play against York, but it’s more about concentrating on what we do. We have to get the players to take the emotion out of it and concentrate on what their roles are, what their jobs are and get them in the right frame of mind.

“Momentum is very important.

We spoke about that after the Yarnbury game. Another win would put us in a really good position to kick on and have a good run and see where it takes us.

“The top two teams in the league are well ahead but it is still important to get as high as we possibly can.”

Nicholson is expecting to line up with the same squad that scaled such heights in Yarnbury. That means Ben Booth, still suffering with a sore wrist, is unlikely to be called upon.

York head coach Sean Bass is expecting a “right battle”.

The Clifton Parkers are also on a high after beating Scarborough 19-14 last time out and the Shipton Road chief admitted there had been “no finer feeling than sticking it” to the seaside outfit this season.

He reflected: “I do nothing but get a lot of grief from them. Their players get on and are playing good rugby. They got 14-0 up and there was a lot of bawling about how the back line wasn’t performing so to score the winning try out wide with Charlie Nicholson was great.”

On Selby, he added: “There will be 100 per cent commitment on the field. If there is a bit of fisticuffs so be it. We are not playing ping-pong.

But there is a lot of respect.

“The lads there are coaching a team to play rugby. They have had a season like us. They have been both fantastic and average. They have gone to Yarnbury and it would be like a mud pie there.

“I have never been there on a dry day. It will have taken some good determination. We have got to go there with massive respect and take it to them like in years gone by.

“It will be a real battle and there will be a right crowd there. They are our closest rivals and we love to play them. I like going there.”

York Press:

NOT RISKED: Ben Booth, suffering with a sore wrist, is not expected to be in the Selby line-up

Sam Blain, suffering an injury niggle which kept him out of the Scarborough clash, returns to the fray, while Dan Coe, a last-minute addition up front last week, is set to continue.

“He’s carrying a few knocks and he was fantastic for us,” Bass added of the latter. “We are looking to get into Selby up front and I am sure they will want to throw the ball around.”

Malton & Norton chiefs hailed the club’s demolition of Middlesbrough as “some of the best rugby seen at The Gannock for many a year”. The challenge now for the Ryedale side is to keep it going against bottom club North Ribblesdale in Yorkshire One.

Boro were seen off 64-7 in a ten-try hammering in a game that had pitted second against third in the league table.

Club spokesman Bill Laidler said: “The understanding between the players is growing with every game and this is leading to raising the bar in so far as performances are concerned.”

Pocklington make a first-ever visit to Bradford & Bingley in North One East. They make just one change from the squad selected against Wheatley Hills.

Forward Archie Fothergill is unavailable but three-quarter Matt White is back from a snowboarding trip.

York RI, gallant in defeat against runaway leaders Wetherby a week ago, try to return to the winning trail at Hornsea in Yorkshire Four.