DALE Holdstock has more reason than most to look forward to Swinton's game at Hull KR on Sunday.

Holdstock is set to start his first game since joining Swinton on loan from St Helens in the second row against his hometown club.

Hull KR is also the club where Dale's father and former Great Britain and England international Roy made his name.

"I'm looking forward to it," said 21-year-old Dale. "All my family will be there. My dad was at Hull KR for 14 years. His heart will be with them, but I think he will be backing me -- at least I hope he will!

"I am not planning anything special. I just plan to work hard."

"It makes sense to go with Dale on his home turf," said Lions coach Mike Gregory. "I think this is the chance for young Dale to show how good a prospect he really is."

Swinton's other new face, young on-loan prop Mike Loughlin, needs to shake off a knee injury he picked up in last week's game against Dewsbury before facing Hull KR.

Mike's brother Paul is also bidding to shake off an ankle injury and the Lions will definitely be without full back Andy Cheetham and winger Adrian Meade.

The club are waiting for results of a scan on Cheetham's back injury. Meade has a thigh injury.

Also on the injury front, forward Jon Neill, who has been ruled out for the rest of this season, will undergo surgery on his snapped cruciate ligament in two weeks time. Wayne English is still sidelined and is likely to be missing for another fortnight or so, but Sean Furey, who missed the Dewsbury game after picking up a knock at Hunslet the previous week, will be in the Lions' 17 on Sunday.

The Lions will be looking for their first win in seven league outings at Craven Park. They haven't won a Northern Ford Premiership game since stringing together three victories on the trot against Chorley, Whitehaven and Barrow at the start of the season.

"Hull KR are going into the game on the back of some good results, but we don't want to go backwards, so if we can build on the performance against Dewsbury and get a result it would be nice," said Gregory.

Top eight side Hull will display their fourth new signing in 10 days when ex-Leeds and Hull forward Matt Schultz makes his debut against Swinton.

Schultz, who began his career as a Hull amateur before signing for Leeds, joins new boys Colin Carter, Alasdair McLarron and Rob Wilson in a much-changed Rovers outfit.

Coach Gary Wilkinson, who is delighted with the arrival of Schultz, said: "Things are on the up-and-up. We have made four first-class signings in the space of two weeks and that should take our game up another level."