WARRIORS' perennial understudy Mark Smith is hoping to exploit the club's injury problems and save his Wigan career writes Chris Hall

Smith has demonstrated the patience of a saint during his long-five years at the club, restricted to the fringe of the starting 13 behind a pack full of proven internationals.

Despite being held in high regard at Wigan, the 21-year old remains deputy to chief hooker Terry Newton, with 25 of his 27 appearances last season coming off the bench.

But injuries to Andy Farrell, Mick Cassidy and Terry O'Connor, added to the close season departures of David Furner and Harvey Howard, have left a perfect opportunity for the utility player to stake a serious claim for a regular place starting with the home Challenge Cup tie to Swinton Lions on Sunday.

And that could be crucial in determining his future when his contract expires at the end of this season.

"It has been a pretty frustrating five years but Terry Newton is a world class player, so I'm not bitter," he said. "This is a massive year for me. I'm playing for my livelihood but I do feel in good shape physically.

"The hardest part for me has been that Wigan have changed coaches five times in the five years I've been here. This is the first time we've had any consistency and hopefully that will help me breakthrough."

Victory at Oldham on Sunday will see Leigh Centurions take a giant step towards qualifying for the knockout stages of the Arriva Trains National Cup.

But Leigh are acutely aware of a possible backlash from Oldham who were humiliated 62-4 by Salford last weekend.

"That result will have stung them badly," says Centurions coach Paul Terzis. "The same thing happened to Rochdale - and just look how they responded against us last weekend."