In Saints' relegation season, the number of different centre pairings easily reached double figures as player after player went down injured.

So far this season Jon Clarke and Joe Ansbro have been put on the sidelines after playing in the high-impact area.

And Mayor pulled a thigh muscle in the team run ahead of the 28-28 draw against Bath, and was missing again against Gloucester this week.

The summer signing from Sale had already picked up an injury before the season started, tearing ankle ligaments off the bone on the pre-season trip to France.

Remarkably the 26-year-old didn't need an operation and he was back in time for the final pre-season friendly against Cardiff.

"The ligaments never re-attached," said Mayor.

"The ankle works itself and supports in different ways."

With Mayor gone and Neil Starling coming back from a knee injury, Bruce Reihana has stepped into the breach for the past two games, but you can't help wondering that without a specialist centre at 13 Saints' defence has not been as well organised lately, with seven tries being leaked in the past two games.

But Mayor, who won the Premiership with Sale in 2006, scoring in the final, feels in James Downey, Saints have a big hitter to match most in the Premiership. "Downey is a great player," said Mayor.

"He is big and physical and he likes putting his tackles in and if he can put his tackles in and let the outside centre get on with their job then they can go up and tackle their man.

"He reads the game very well and he is very good at cutting back against the grain into those angles, and because he is such a big guy he can get the offloads or smash through that gap."

Starling could well return for the European Challenge Cup clash with Bristol on Saturday as Saints look to work on their defence ahead of the return to the Guinness Premiership against Harlequins on December 20 at Franklin's Gardens.

Mayor, though, is working his way back to fitness, while marvelling at the rugby-mad town he has moved to.

"It is a bit different round here where rugby is the sole sport in the town, whereas in Manchester you have got every other football team," said Mayor.

"You don't even play second fiddle at Sale, some people don't even know Manchester's got a rugby team.

"Then you come here and it is the number one thing – it is nice.

"In Manchester you might see the odd car sticker, but here every other car has got a Saints sticker.

"Every week the support is phenomenal at Franklin's Gardens, even at away games I've been pleasantly surprised at the amount of support we get and it does lift the team."