GREG Woods’ Cross Keys head to Aberavon tomorrow confident of making history and getting one over on one of their former coaches Nicky Lloyd, now with the Wizards.

And Keys will be getting their retaliation in first just off the A467 at Rogerstone.

Aberavon backs coach Lloyd, who lives in Risca, will be sharing the Keys team coach down to the Talbot Athletic Ground.

And Lloyd’s good friend Woods promises him an especially warm welcome when he boards the bus as Keys look to record their first win in Aberavon for nearly a decade.

You have to go back to September 1999 for their last victory in Aberavon courtesy of a Gwion Bowen try and 11 points from the boot of Ioan Bebb in a 16-15 triumph.

Woods said: “I’m sure there’ll be plenty of banter when we pick Nicky up at Morrisons – we’ll have to put him at the back of the bus among the front row boys or perhaps we’ll lock him in the loo of the coach until ten to four!”

But joking aside, Woods said his men are determined to upset the odds and are boosted by the return from injury of centre Carl Pocock, scrum-half Owen Jones and Wales Under-20 lock Ashley Sweet.

And confidence is high after they were close to toppling an unbeaten, league leading Llanelli side containing seven players with Scarlets experience, going down 21-17 at Pandy Park last week.

Woods singled out his back row and one player in particular for special praise, a man who proved to be outside half Rhys Priestland’s nemesis as well as his namesake.

“We’ve got a really aggressive back row and Rhys Peebles is a quality player who made Priestland look average with his speed and line of defence,” Woods said.

And it is a combative ethos Keys take with them to do battle with an equally bellicose Aberavon team sure to be hurting after their 25-23 defeat at Bedwas last Saturday.

And the gods may well be smiling on Keys this weekend. The Wizards’ playmaker, the talented outside-half Jamie Davies is out injured.

Woods said he tried to get one over on Lloyd: “I told Nicky that Jamie’s got Cross Keysitis, but he said the young lad replacing him is the next Dan Carter!”

Keys are boosted by the return of full-back Leon Andrews after his shoulder injury.

Cross Keys: L Andrews, J Egan, C Pocock, G Maule, W Johnstone, P Smithson, J Leadbeater, D Preece, L Burns, N Buck, M Curtis, B Watkins (captain), T Lampard, R Peebles, G Gladwyn.

Replacements: J Price, C Davies, C Gould, A Sweet plus three from: O Jones, R James, S Regan, N Trowbridge, G Ashman.