SIMON Appleby says that keeping the ball away from Dorking fly-half Matt Noble will be vital if Basingstoke RFC are to beat the Surrey side this weekend.

The ’Stoke captain is confident that his team can keep their good recent run going with a win on Saturday (kick-off 2pm), as long as they are able to keep Noble under control.

The Dorking fly-half is having a fine season and is a major reason why the Surrey side lie sixth in the National Three London table.

He has missed the last two games due to a hamstring problem and Dorking have struggled in his absence – going down to a shock 31-16 defeat away at struggling Portsmouth last week.

However, he is expected to return on Saturday.

While Appleby said ’Stoke are aware of Noble’s threat, there are no plans to shake him up in the early stages.

“We do not have anything in particular planned but he is their key player and it is important we keep the ball away from him,” the Basingstoke skipper said.

“If we do that, they haven’t got anything that can really threaten us.

“They have got a good fly-half and that is it. We are fairly confident and I see no reason why we should not win.”

Saturday’s game will be the fourth time the teams have met in little over a year – ’Stoke pipped the Surrey side to the London two south title last season.

Dorking got a slice of revenge for that by winning 26-22 at Down Grange in September, but they have been struggling in recent weeks. Victory on Saturday would help ’Stoke, who have won their last three, consolidate fourth place in the table.

“The gap is five points at the moment but we would like a bit more of a cushion,” Appleby said. “We are going through a decent run of form at the moment and it could be a good time to play Dorking.”

While Dorking will be sweating on the fitness of Noble, Basingstoke have their own problems, with two of the back three who started the 61-10 victory over Sutton and Epsom out of the game.

Influential full-back Andrew Fitchett has returned to New Zealand for Christmas, while Tim Richards, who started on the wing last weekend, will miss the game with an ankle problem.

Youngster Matt Guilfoyle is expected to step in at full-back after doing well when he came on as Richards’ replacement last week, with Tom Gray likely to reclaim a place on the wing.

“We have plenty of cover in the backs so it should not be too much of a problem,” Appleby said.

“Matt Guilfoyle did a good job when he came on at the weekend and Tom Gray is a good player.”

Head coach Jim Kelly is likely to miss out due to a calf strain, with Mike Goodall expected to continue at scrum-half after impressing against Sutton.

“Mike Goodall is a good player who just needs to find a position to stick to,” Appleby added. “I hope that is scrum-half and I think he can do a really good job there. I thought he did brilliantly on Saturday, especially as he was thrown in at the deep end.”