‘It will only become ours to throw away if we beat Leicester Lions’ - Keep
Keep said Sale FC's victory over Stourbridge has given them confidence ahead of this weekend
©Glenn Hutton
Coach Jonathan Keep says the play-off place in National Two North will only be Sale FC’s to lose if they secure a victory against Leicester Lions on Saturday.
Sale sealed their 18th win of the season against promotion rivals Stourbridge last weekend which kept the Manchester-based club in control of second spot.
Keep and his side are now 13 points clear of the chasing pack and take on third placed Leicester Lions at Heywood Road tomorrow.
“Second place isn’t ours to lose because we have to go out and perform this weekend,” said Keep.
“If we do perform on Saturday and come away with the result we want then I think we are in the position to say that second is ours to lose.
“We are in a very similar position to what we were in last week because Leicester Lions still have that game in hand so if we can take that away from them by getting a result on Saturday, then that makes it a completely different outlook for the rest of the season.”
This time last year, Sale FC were being sucked into a relegation battle in National Two North but managed to survive and 12 months on, they are now in a strong position to have a shot at promotion to the third tier of English rugby.
It has been a remarkable turnaround by Keep and his side, but he has always believed that Sale FC have the quality to be a National One side ever since he joined the club six years ago.
“Where we are now is down to a lot of hard work from minute one in pre-season,” added Keep. “I don’t think we really expected to be where we are right now due to where we ended up last season.
“From March onwards last year, we managed to get a grip of a few things and tweaked certain aspects of our game to allow us to play in a slightly different style. It’s not rocket science, but it is working for us and it has made such a difference.
“The club has never hidden from the fact that we are ambitious and what to keep progressing. When I joined the club the aim was to get to National Two and when we got there, it was a case of patting ourselves on the back that we had achieved our target.
“However, I think a club of Sale FC’s stature should be playing National One rugby as a minimum just because of the facilities we have and the history behind the club too. We have everything in place to be a National One club, but we must focus on the job in hand between now and the end of the season.”
Next on the agenda for Sale FC is the visit of Leicester Lions who travel to Manchester this weekend on the back of two straight wins against Harrogate and Scunthorpe.
Andy Key’s side do have a game in hand against bottom club Preston Grasshoppers at the end of the month, but if they are to have any hopes of snatching second place of Sale FC, they must secure their seventh away win of the season this Saturday.
After victory over Stourbridge six days ago, Keep and his side are fully aware of the challenge that awaits them this weekend and the Sale coach is keen not to look past this fixture.
He added: “We said at the start of this season that if we’re in the top six, we have had a really good turnaround. We started well and we reviewed our positon after 10 games.
“Since then, we have kept assessing ourselves after every third of the campaign because we haven’t wanted to look too far ahead and make big statements. We always knew the squad had the capabilities to challenge higher up the table and we have really put the effort in to be where we are now after 21 games.
“Leicester Lions are a very good, physical side and it is our job to try and combat that with playing our game.
“We have had a good look at what we need to do and again, it is just a case of executing our game plan and making sure we put our best foot forward on the day like we did last weekend.
“We are confident after winning away at Stourbridge and now are into the final 10 matches of the season, we really want to give it our best shot.”
Elsewhere in National Two North this weekend, league leaders Caldy will be keen to continue their run to the title while at the wrong end of the table, it is a big weekend for the for teams battling relegation as they all look to move away from danger at this crucial stage of the campaign.
Caldy v South Leicester
League leaders Caldy will be hoping to maintain their 10-point gap at the top of National Two North when they welcome South Leicester to Paton Fields tomorrow. Simon Verbickas’ men battled to victory away at Tynedale last weekend to extend their unbeaten run to 20 matches and their winning streak to 13 games.
The Wirral side look like they cannot be stopped at present especially at home as they are the only side in the division not to have lost a game in front of their own supporters. Caldy head into this fixture having won all 10 of their matches on their own turf and you wouldn’t bet against them extending their impressive records this weekend.
South Leicester are charged with the task of halting this Caldy juggernaut this weekend when they take the trip to Cheshire. South have had a brilliant season considering they were dicing with danger around this time last year and the Midlands side currently occupy seventh place in the table.
The men from Welford Road would’ve been looking to cement their position at this level after promotion in 2015 and South have done just that this term. Now, they will be keen to end the season strongly and also put a stop to some very patchy recent form. South head to Caldy tomorrow having won just two of their last six games and they have also not tasted victory away from home in just over two months. Can they upset the odds this weekend by ending their baron run on the road?
Wharfedale v Stourbridge
On the agenda for Wharfedale and Stourbridge this weekend will be the word ‘recovery’. Both sides suffered disappointing setbacks last Saturday and now they will be looking for a response when the clubs do battle in Skipton tomorrow.
Dale’s recent revival was scuppered by an away defeat against Sheffield Tigers six days ago which leaves James Doherty’s men one point clear of the relegation zone as things stand. It was yet another away day woe for the Yorkshire side, but back at The Avenue, the Greens are a different kettle of fish. All six of Dale’s triumphs this term have come on home soil and a seventh success tomorrow would be the perfect tonic after a difficult result last weekend.
Stourbridge Director of Rugby Neil Mitchell has said this week that his side will refuse to ‘throw in the towel’ over possible promotion hopes. Their top two aims are now hanging by a thread after suffering their first home defeat of the season against Sale FC last Saturday and now the Midlands side are 16 points off the play-off place.
Mitchell told the Express & Star that there is ‘no pressure on his side now’ and that may help Stour return to winning ways this weekend after back to back losses. The men from Stourton Park have won on four occasions away from home this season and a fifth triumph on their travels wiould be a morale booster for Mitchell and his side.
Sedgley Park v Sheffield Tigers
Like Stourbridge, Sedgley Park’s promotion ambitions do look dead in the water. Dean Schofield’s side entered 2017 in third place and in a good position to challenge Sale FC for the play-off spot, but since the turn of the year, any thoughts of successive play-off appearances have now vanished.
Sedge have won just twice this year and it leaves them 19 points behind second place. Defeats to Hinckley, Tynedale and most recently Luctonians have hit them hard and now the men from Park Lane will be focused on ending the season strongly as they start preparing for another promotion bid in the next campaign. For now, Sedge welcome Sheffield Tigers to Manchester this weekend looking to return to winning ways as they go in search of their 10th home victory of the season.
Sheffield Tigers beat Sedgley Park 20-14 in the reverse fixture back in October and they may feel like they could achieve the double of their opponents this weekend as they head to Manchester in a buoyant mood. Prior to last Saturday, that aforementioned result against Sedge was the Tigers’ last victory and they were on a 12 match losing streak.
That horrendous run saw the men from Dore Moor slip into the bottom three, but a first victory in just under four months has given them hope. Their win over Wharfedale last Saturday leaves the Tigers seven points adrift of safety and six behind 14th place Scunthorpe, but due to the new relegations regarding relegation from National Two this season, third from bottom could be enough to save Sheffield. Firstly, they have to begin clawing back that deficit and they can do that by achieving a third away win of the season this Saturday.
Chester v Luctonians
A victory over South Leicester is just what Chester would’ve wanted last weekend when it looked as if their inconsistencies were coming back to haunt them. Granted, it wasn’t the most clean-cut display from the Cheshire side this season, but it was much needed after a narrow loss to Tynedale a week before.
Throughout this campaign, Chester have had some great sequences of results but they have been followed by runs of defeats so they will be pleased to have returned to winning ways so quickly last Saturday. Looking at the bigger picture, the men from Hare Lane currently sit comfortably in sixth place and they have also won four of their last five games as they prepare to host Luctonians tomorrow. Chester have picked up six wins on home soil this season and a seventh victory will continue an excellent 2017 so far for Nick Joseph’s men.
As for Luctonians, a run of one win in 11 matches came to a superb end for the Herefordshire side last weekend as they stunned Sedgley Park to secure a much needed victory. A whole host of injuries have hampered any progress the Lucts may have aimed for this term after a sixth placed finish 10 months ago, but their latest victory could well be a catalyst to keep them away from any relegation battles.
Currently, Alex Davidson’s men sit in 11th place and six points clear of the drop zone. It is still not a comfortable cushion to have, but it is a cushion that the Lucts would’ve wanted after such a tough few months. After defeating one of the top six sides in this division last Saturday, Luctonians may feel like they can upset the form guide once again this weekend as they eye a third away win of the season.
Preston Grasshoppers v Tynedale
Following a superb home victory over Otley in Round 20, things were looking up for Preston Grasshoppers. They were off the bottom of the table and they may have had 14th place in their sights, but a poor first-half display against Hinckley last weekend saw them slip to their 16th defeat of the season and back down to the foot of the table.
Garth Dew’s side are eight points behind 14th spot right now and they do also have a game in hand against Leicester Lions at the end of the month. That defeat against Hinckley certainly isn’t the end of the world for Hoppers, but they know they can’t afford to just focus on their game in hand if they are to get themselves out of trouble. Preston return to Lightfoot Green tomorrow looking for successive home victories which could put them back into the positive position they found themselves in just 13 days ago.
Their opponents Tynedale travel to Lancashire this weekend as one of the in-form sides on the road. Scott Lawson’s men have secured four wins from their last five away games which has been part of an upturn in results for Tyne which has lifted them into the top half of the table.
The north-east side occupy eighth place as things stand and despite a battling performance in defeat against league leaders Caldy six days ago, Tynedale have won three of their last five matches overall. Tyne have won five times on their travels this season which once again highlights their recent improvements and they may fancy their chances of another success away from home tomorrow.
Otley v Hinckley
A home victory is something Otley have been familiar with this season, but a win was something they couldn’t achieve in the opening month of 2017. The Yorkshire side lost all four of their games in January, but returned to winning ways last weekend as they eased past Scunthorpe to earn yet another triumph at Cross Green this term.
Otley currently lie 10th in the table as things stand having secured nine wins from their 21 matches this season. Eight of those victories have come on home turf which just shows that Otley are a force to be reckoned with at Cross Green this campaign and they are back in front of their own supporters this weekend as they look to stretch the 12 point gap between themselves and the relegation battle.
Just above Otley in the table are Hinckley and followers of National Two North may have thought that would’ve been unlikely at the start of the season. Hinckley were promoted via the National Three North play-off last May and after a tough start to life at this level, Chris Campbell and his side look as though they have earned themselves another year in this division.
The men from Leicester Road have recently just finished a tough run of fixtures where they faced all of the top six, but they did fare quite well. They achieved one win over Sedgley Park, but during that run, they also played Wharfedale and most recently Preston Grasshoppers where they picked up victories. Hinckley are securing points in right sort of matches and they will be hoping to continue that theme this weekend.
Scunthorpe v Harrogate
Scunthorpe will be aiming to move away from trouble on Saturday by securing their eighth win of the campaign. The side promoted from National Three Midlands last season are still in with a very good chance of avoiding immediate relegation back down to the fifth-tier, but they need to start finding some positive results as they currently sit inside the bottom three and just a point from safety.
Their heavy loss away at Otley last weekend – due to a mounting injury list - saw the Lincolnshire side slip back into the drop zone so victory could be vital at Heslam Park this Saturday. At home is where the Greens have put in some of their best performances this term as they have secured five of their seven wins in front of their own supporters and they will be keen to put on another positive display on their own turf tomorrow.
Harrogate’s turnaround in fortunes was just halted slightly in Round 21. It looked as though David Doherty’s side were going to claim a share of the points away at Leicester Lions last weekend, but a late try put an end to Harrogate’s three match winning run.
Travelling away to Leicester Lions has never been an easy game so ‘Gate won’t be too disheartened to have lost that encounter last week. It is now important for the Yorkshire side to bounce back by securing a result away at Scunthorpe to restart their revival. Harrogate are currently 12th in the table and four points clear of the drop, but another victory to add to their excellent 2017 would ease any relegation nerves.
