CHRIS Stirling insists his Cornish Pirates must be ready to 'fight fire with fire' when they tackle Doncaster Knights in the Championship on Sunday (2pm).

Stirling has warned his team that the visiting Yorkshiremen will dock into port at Camborne not only looking to avenge an earlier 21-10 home defeat by the Pirates back in September, but also aiming to haul themselves back into the play-offs picture.

Tipped by many observers to be among the Championship's frontrunners this season, it has – to date – been something of a disappointing campaign for the Knights who, after 12 games of the season, sit second bottom in the divisional standings.

The Pirates, on the other hand, are sailing along nicely and sit fifth in the table after they recorded their seventh league win at Moseley last Saturday.

It was a victory made all the more pleasing as Stirling's ever-improving side fought their way back from a 19-0 half-time deficit to win 20-19.

Afterwards the New Zealander was wholesome in his praise for his troops. Several days on, Stirling admits the feel-good factor of that late, late victory in the Midlands is still very much alive.

"That result has definitely given us belief," said Stirling yesterday. "At Moseley, I also saw a steeliness about the boys that I had not seen before. The determination they showed to keep going and keep improving was excellent.

"We can't stand still, however. We need to build on that performance and I believe we can do it again this weekend. Each week I am seeing areas of our game improving. Some areas are a bit slower than others, but we are making progress."

Stirling knows, though, Doncaster will be no pushovers, especially in the battle which reigns up front. "They are a quality side," he added. "Like Moseley last week, the Doncaster side we are facing in round two will be a lot different to the one we faced in round one. Having seen a few of their recent games on DVD, I have to say I was really impressed with their physicality.

"They have a way to play the game and they play to it. They are very strong in the forwards, but that does not mean they haven't got any backs who can score. Trust me, they have guys out wide who can score points if the opportunities arise. The main aim for us will be to meet them head on up front. If we can, then I believe the result can take care of itself."

To help aid the home cause, Stirling is boosted by the return of a number of his first team squad following injuries. Options in the pack will be bolstered by having Ben Gulliver, Chris Morgan, Matt Evans and Laurie McGlone all available, while behind James Moore is another pushing for a starting spot.

On the down side, though, props Alan Paver and Rudi Brits are still another week away from returning, while other unnamed players are carrying either slight knocks or have been suffering from the effects of flu this week. Stirling will finalise his line-up following today's final team run.

Whoever gets the nod for the home side, it will be up to them to build on the Moseley win. It was the first of four fixtures the Pirates coaching staff have targeted in their bid to secure a play-off position.

"We have targeted the four games prior to the New Year as being crucial," added Stirling. "Basically, we are on the first rung of the ladder and we have three more to go. As coaches, we are not going to let the guys take their foot off the pedal, neither should they want to do so. We are creating some real momentum right now and we want to keep that going."

Doncaster come into the game having lost last time out to league leaders Exeter Chiefs 14-9 at Castle Park.

Cornish Pirates (from): R Cook, R McAtee, N Jackson, A Havili, M Ireland, S Winn, J Moore, R Jones, J Bentley, G Cattle (capt), J Doherty, P Andrew, R Storer, D Ward, R Elloway, S Franklin, C Rimmer, S Pammenter, B Gulliver, C Morgan, S Betty, B Cowan, T Holmes, L McGlone.