JON Higgins says Dudley Kingswinford must be prepared for a “desperate” Westoe on Saturday.

DK welcome the struggling Tyne and Wear outfit knowing victory will put more distance between them and the National Two North drop zone and go a long way to ensuring their safety.

But joint-head coach Higgins is all to aware of the threat posed by the visitors, who defeated DK 34-32 in the north-east earlier this season and says their precarious league placing makes them dangerous.

He said: “They will be desperate to win and scrapping for their lives.

“It will make it a difficult game.

“By winning on Saturday we would take a big step toward securing ourselves in this league next year and that makes it a very big game.”

DK should welcome back Gareth Bown, pictured, after the fly-half came through an academy game last weekend.

Saturday will be DK’s first game back at Heathbrook following their superb victory over Darlington Mowden Park last month and Higgins is keen to see a similar performance.

He said: “We are quite confident at home and we will take some comfort from that.

“We didn’t play well up at Westoe and this will be a measure of how far we have come.

“If we produce the same kind of performance we did against Darlington I don’t think there is any doubt we will win.”