FULL-BACK Chris Pennell is making his first appearance for a month in tomorrow’s Greene King IPA Championship play-off final first leg against Bristol at a packed Ashton Gate (7.45pm).

The England player left the pitch with a knee injury as Warriors slipped to a narrow 30-26 defeat against Bristol at Sixways in the final match of the regular Championship campaign.

But Pennell has been passed fit for the first leg of the shoot-out against a Bristol side, who recorded a league double over Warriors, with Ben Howard reverting to the bench.

Tom Biggs will come on to the wing in the place of Dean Hammond (thigh), but there is no place for flanker Sam Betty, who has been a stand-out performer this term.

Betty has enjoyed one of the best campaigns of his career, scoring 17 tries in 20 appearances and winning the supporters’ player of the year accolade.

The Bristol-born player started the first leg of Warriors’ play-off semi-final at London Scottish but was replaced by Sam Lewis after 67 minutes.

Betty was not in Warriors' squad for the second leg against Scottish at Sixways.

A Warriors spokesman declined to reveal why Betty was not included in the squad and added it was a club policy not to discuss injuries.

Wing Sam Smith, who has crossed the whitewash 17 times in 24 appearances, is not in the squad.

There is also no place for centre Max Stelling, who notched 17 tries in 24 appearances this term before suffering a hamstring strain last month against Bristol.

Director of rugby Dean Ryan admitted Stelling’s absence had been a blow to Warriors.

“Stelling was a mainstay of a lot of things which we have built our attack around so he’s been a huge loss and so has Andy Symons (ruptured knee ligament),” said Ryan.

“But we have worked all year in having Millsy (Ryan Mills) playing in there and other situations where Alex Grove has come in and done a job.”

In-form Cooper Vuna, who has bagged seven tries in seven appearances since moving to Sixways, is in Warriors back line alongside Pennell and Biggs.

Grove and Mills keep their places in midfield next to stand-off Ryan Lamb and scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier.

In the forward pack, Val Ruskin lines up next to Argentina international Gus Creevy and Nick Schonert in the front-row, while James Percival and Jonathan Thomas occupy the second-row.

Mike Williams starts in the back-row and is set for his 50th Warriors appearance alongside skipper Gerrit-Jan van Velze and semi-final second leg hat-trick hero Sam Lewis.

Seventeen-year-old schoolboy Jamie Shillcock, who made his debut in the previous game, is on the bench for Warriors despite sitting his A-Level history exam at 1.30pm tomorrow.

The play-off final second leg will take place next Wednesday at Sixways (7.45pm).

Warriors: Pennell, Biggs, Grove, Mills, Vuna, Lamb, Bruzulier, Rapava Ruskin, Creevy, Schonert, Thomas, Percival, Williams, Lewis, Van Velze;

Replacements: Annett, Bower, Rees, Senatore, Shillcock, Fatiaki, Howard.