Sussex coach Ian Davies today admitted his county team are massive underdogs to reach a Twickenham final.

Victory over Middlesex at Worthing tomorrow could be enough to send Sussex into the County Shield decider at headquarters a week on Sunday.

Tomorrow's victors will have to wait on news from St Albans, where Hertfordshire meet Berkshire, to know whether they have reached the final as South Group winners. The losers could go down into the County Plate.

Such last day drama will bring back memories of events at Worthing four weeks ago when the host club were involved in a points-difference batle with Cambridge to win London One.

All four teams have one win and one defeat but Middlesex lead the section on points difference and have strengthened their team since last week's shock defeat by Herts.

By contrast, Sussex have injury worries and Davies said: "We are massive underdogs.

"After last week's results, everybody in this group can still be relegated or get to Twickenham.

"We need to play for the full 80 minutes, which we haven't done so far."

Sussex let slip a 17-point half-time lead to lose 36-35 to Berkshire last week and picked up injuries in the process.

Glenn Rankin (knee), James Mackie (hand) and Terry Butler (leg) were added to a list of worries which also included Rick Ure, Simon Bradford and more long-term absentees like Jodie Levett and Paul Cox.

Owen Ashton comes into the back line and takes over the goalkicking from Ben Coulson.

The Worthing man made six of eight attempts at Bracknell last week, including a touchline conversion.

He was guilty of missing a simple penalty in the second half but Davies said: "We haven't taken the kicking off him because of that.

"If you've got the kicker of the year in National Three, as Owen was, you use him."

Middlesex are expected to bring in former Stade Francais prop Richard Liddington, who played for the USA in the last World Cup.

Liddington is one of a quartet of call-ups from London Welsh, which also includes former Wasps flanker Laurent Rossigneux.

Quite what Sussex require from the group's other game, at Old Albanian, depends on the result from Worthing.

If Sussex win, the best result to send them to the final would be a win for Berkshire, who have a sorry-looking points difference.

Defeat for Sussex, however, would probably leave them depending on a Berkshire defeat to save them from relegation.