Rugby League: Schofield gears up for the big stage

GARRY SCHOFIELD will be on familiar ground when he takes his Huddersfield side to Headingley for the first time in a competitive match this evening.

"We played a friendly against Leeds in January, but this will be a different matter," said Schofield, who spent nine years with Leeds. "I've told my players that this is the big stage, but they will be going into it full of confidence after winning our first Super League game of the season against Warrington last week.''

Schofield keeps faith with the 17 who gained that boost to their morale, resisting any temptation to make a swansong cameo appearance at his old stamping ground.

Huddersfield have extended their loan of the Leeds prop, Jamie Field, to the end of the season, and hope to clinch a new deal with Neil Harmon before tonight's match.

Schofield has also admitted that he would be interested in Bobbie Goulding, if his current bout of trouble at St Helens leads to him becoming available.

Huddersfield face an unchanged starting line-up, with Barrie McDermott and Adrian Morley coming back into the reckoning via the bench.

Halifax have Kelvin Skerrett and Martin Moana back for tonight's other match. Visitors Hull have Craig Murdock making his debut at scrum-half, enabling Gary Lester to move to stand-off and Logan Campbell to loose- forward.

Warrington have picked up a damaging legacy from their defeat. The in- form scrum-half Lee Briers has damaged a knee and will be out for a month. John Duffy is expected to deputise.