The west Cumbrian rugby league community is holding its breath for a Bank Holiday Monday programme which could have wide-reaching consequences.

Whitehaven and Workington Town both face must-win games as the prospect of relegation to Championship One looms.

Rejuvenated Whitehaven, who won at Workington last Sunday, have Halifax as visitors to the Recreation Ground (ko 2pm) and the four man collective running the team have a strong squad to choose from.

Town go to Swinton – the team immediately above the Cumbrian pair in the table but four points better-off – so the result will have a strong bearing on who goes down.

Scott McAvoy, Craig Calvert, Dave Allen and Carl Forster got an immediate reaction from the players after James Coyle was sacked as coach. They want to follow-up that 28-24 derby win with another possible life-saving victory over Halifax.

Chairman Tommy Todd said: “We drew 12-12 in June against Halifax and many people thought that was our best performance of the season and were so close to beating them. If the players respond as they did at Workington we will be looking for a win this time.”

Halifax come to Cumbria on the back of six straight defeats but Haven’s new management quartet are ignoring that record, believing they will be strong and competitive.

One of the four, tough forward Forster said: “We’ve been looking at how best to counteract their key players and going through videos trying to pinpoint any weaknesses. Hopefully we can put it into practice out there on the pitch.”

Richard Marshall has been vocal of his admiration of Halifax’s youth grade this season and has once again shown that he is not afraid to call up players to his first team squad.

Luke Nelmes is travelling with the squad and could be in line for his first appearance in the senior side after impressing in the reserve grade structure while Elliot Morris and Chester Butler return to the squad, after missing the 24-22 defeat to Dewsbury.

Full back Ben Johnston and hooker Ben Kaye also return to Marshall’s squad with Halifax, despite their run of defeats, assured of a place in the Shield semi-finals.

Workington have included Salford loanee Matty Gee in the 19-strong squad after he had to retire early against Whitehaven with a rib injury.

But Callum Phillips, the livewire hooker/half-back is an absentee. He, too, was taken off early in the derby with an ankle injury and is not fit enough to resume against the Lions.

Coach Phil Veivers said: “We’re a little bit restricted in our team selections. We’re pretty much buckled with injuries at the moment.

“But the boys haven’t given up, they’ve got the determination and the bit between the teeth. They’ll dig deep and have a shot and see how far they can go and see if they can stay in this division.”

Whitehaven: Jouffret, Aiye, Chamberlain, Taylor, Allen, Perez, Gore, Riley, Newton, Walker, Capelhow, Davies, Ince, Carberry, Fox, Burns, Forster, Holliday, Parker.

Halifax Bennion, Boyle, Butler, Cahalane, Fairbank, Greenwood, Heaton, Johnston, Kaye, Manning, G. Moore, B. Moore, Morris, Murrell, Nelmes, Rawsthorne, Saltonstall, Sharp, Tangata.

Workington Town: Murphy, Hulme, Mossop, Forber, Doran, Coward, Shackley, B. Phillips, Olstrum, McAvoy, Szostak, Walker, Verlinden, Scholey, Gordon, Ritson, Gee, Patrick, Sammut.

Swinton: Littler, Emmitt, Atkin, Robinson, Thornley, Marshall, Waterworth, Fleming, R. Lloyd, Hallett, Dwyer, Lever, Hand, Barlow, Beharrell, Bracek, Butt, Austin, White.