Blaydon aiming to continue revival at Fylde

Last weekend saw Blaydon move out of the bottom two after victory of Esher and now Mickey Ward’s side will be looking for a similar result when they travel to Fylde this weekend.

The north-east side are now two points clear of the drop after three wins from their last four matches and now Blaydon will be aiming to strengthen their survival bid once again. In their way will be a Fylde side full of confidence after two straight wins and Paul Arnold’s men will be keen to also continue their impressive home form this season.

Below Blaydon sit Hull Ionians and Macclesfield who take on Coventry and Old Albanian respectively ahead of their crucial showdown next weekend. Both sides will be desperate for points tomorrow to carry into that crunch match.

At the right end of the table, Hartpury College will be eager to take another step towards the National One crown as they eye up a 23^rd successive victory when they host Cambridge while Plymouth Albion, Ampthill and Birmingham Moseley continue to battle for the silver-medal spot.

Hartpury College v Cambridge

After 22 straight wins, Hartpury College are edging closer to the National One league title. Last weekend they faced Ampthill and District who were supposed be College’s toughest test of the season, but even the men from Dillingham Park couldn’t stop John Barnes’ men as they racked up yet another victory.

Hartpury’s lead at the top is now 28 points with just eight games remaining and they will be looking to maintain or even stretch that advantage at the summit when they host Cambridge this Saturday. This week, Hartpury College’s University side clinched the league title and it won’t be long until their National One side follow suit.

As for Cambridge, Director of Rugby Ross Stewart called for his side to maintain their focus in matches following their victory over Macclesfield in Round 21 and the Blood and Sand had to be switched on until the 80^th minute last week as an inspired James Ayrton helped them snatch a draw at home to Blackheath.

The men from Volac Park have picked up seven points from their last two matches which has eased any relegation worries they may have had. Stewart’s men currently occupy 11^th place in the table and are 16 points clear of the bottom two so an immediate return back down to National Two South looks incredibly unlikely at this stage. Cambridge end this month with the daunting prospect of facing the rampant league leaders and they head to Gloucester having won just three times on the road this season.  Can they be the first side to halt Hartpury?

Loughborough Students v Plymouth Albion

The main talking point around this fixture between Loughborough Students and Plymouth Albion this weekend is about the referee, but for all the right reasons. Sara Cox will take charge of this clash at Epinal Way as female officials continue to break new ground in rugby. Cox became the first contracted full-time referee within the RFU’s professional match official team in 2015 and she also officiated at the Rio Olympics last summer.

To the match itself where hosts Loughborough Students will be looking to improve on their form since the turn of the year. As things stand, the Midlands side have won just twice in 2017 and head into this encounter with Plymouth on the back of three straight defeats. Students still lie eighth in the table and remain on course for their highest ever finish at this level, but they will be keen to put an end to these patchy results.

In terms of Plymouth Albion, form has not been a problem for them recently. They take the journey north this weekend having secured five wins in a row and Kieran Hallett’s side are now sitting in the silver-medal spot in the table with eight games to go.

Albion’s home results have been near enough perfect this season with 11 of their 16 victories coming at Brickfields, but now they will want to improve on a mixed away record where they have won five and lost five on their travels thus far. With the title all but Hartpury’s, second place now has to be the goal for Plymouth and a sixth straight win would keep them on track to achieve just that.

Esher v Ampthill and District

Third placed Ampthill and District take the trip to Surrey this weekend as they face Esher who continue to perform well in front of their own supporters this season. The hosts on Saturday currently occupy 13^th place in the table and are 12 points clear of the bottom two, but the reason why they have not been sucked into a relegation battle is because of their performances at Moseley Road.

All seven of Esher’s victories this term have come at home and they welcome Ampthill this weekend having won their last two on their own patch. Those aforementioned victories came against potential relegation rivals Fylde and Hull Ionians which has certainly helped them move away from danger and a third home win on the spin could see Esher take a huge step towards securing their status in this division.

In terms of Ampthill, they were unable to become the first team to beat Hartpury College last weekend at Dillingham Park and now they will be looking for a response this Saturday as they continue their quest for second place this season.

The A’s finished in a very credible third position last year following promotion from National Two North and the Bedfordshire side are now aiming to go one better this time around. They head to Surrey having won 10 of their last 12 matches and Ampthill have also won seven games on the road this season so they will be hoping to extend those records as they look to regain second spot in the table.

Birmingham Moseley v Darlington Mowden Park

After securing the services of back-row forwards Chris Brightwell and Jacques Le Roux for another two years last week, Birmingham Moseley continued the good news as they made it three wins on the bounce thanks to victory over Old Albanian and now Kevin Maggs’ side are targeting second spot in the table.

Following the announcement that Maggs won’t be staying with the club after this season, the Midlands side have remained focused on the task in hand and now find themselves five points behind Plymouth Albion with a game in hand. That fixture comes against Blaydon next weekend, but for now Moseley will be concentrating on continuing their good recent form when Darlington Mowden Park visit Billesley Common. Moseley have won nine times on their own turf this term and will feel confident of taking that total into double figures tomorrow.

Moseley beat Darlington Mowden Park 15-7 on at the end of October, but the visitors on Saturday will be hoping to give their opponents another scare this weekend. DMP may feel that they are in better shape than they were four months ago as the travel to the Midlands in fine fettle.

The north-east side currently sit ninth in the table and are only three points outside the top eight. The reason for this is because DMP have lost just twice in their last eight games which has seen them rise from potential relegation candidates to mid-table safety. They head to Billesley Common having won their last three away matches and it is certainly not out of the question that DMP can become only the second side to win at Moseley this season.

Blackheath v Rosslyn Park

Sixth place hosts fifth place this weekend as Blackheath welcome Rosslyn Park to Well Hall for the first time, but both sides are going through contrasting fortunes as we approach the penultimate month of the season. For the home side Blackheath, they come into this fixture having won just one of their last five matches which has seen them fall away from the race for second place.

‘Club’ are currently going through their worst spell of the season and after such a positive start to this campaign, their season is in danger of petering out. They would’ve been frustrated to draw with Cambridge last weekend but Blackheath’s aim now is to end February on a high by securing their ninth home win of the season.

Rosslyn Park are at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to form. The London-based side take the short trip to Blackheath tomorrow having won six of their last seven matches which has lifted them into the top five of National One.

Park began the season with one win from their first four matches, but since then, they have not looked back. Rosslyn immediately responded from defeat against Birmingham Moseley in Round 21 to secure an excellent win of Macclesfield six days ago and with Park only a point ahead of Blackheath heading into this fixture, they will be keen to add to their superb recent form tomorrow.

Coventry v Hull Ionians

Coventry made a big statement this week by signing former Scotland international Alex Grove and ex-England Sevens player Jack Preece from Birmingham Moseley. The duo will make the switch at the end of this season, but it is clear that Rowland Winter already has an eye on challenging for the top places in the 2017/18 National One campaign.

For now, he and his side will be focused on ending this current term strongly. Cov welcome Hull Ionians to the Butts Park Arena this weekend having lost their last two matches including a defeat against Plymouth Albion last time out. However, Cov will know that they have been pretty much faultless this term in front of their own supporters. 10 of their 12 victories this season have come at home and they will fancy their chances of adding to that record this Saturday against a side battling for survival.

Hull Ionians dropped into the bottom two last weekend due to their narrow defeat against Fylde and Blaydon’s victory over Esher, but now the next two weeks are vitally important for the men from Yorkshire if they are to survive relegation.

As things stand, the I’s are two points off safety, but they do have a game in hand against bottom of the table Macclesfield next weekend which could prove pivotal. Blaydon, who are in the safety position one place above Ionians, also have a game in hand but that is against Birmingham Moseley so on paper, the men from Brantingham Park have the easier task. However, their focus has to be on picking up some vital points from the Midlands this Saturday as Hull Ionians aim for only their second away triumph of the season.

Macclesfield v Old Albanian

Old Albanian head to Macclesfield this weekend still searching for a Head Coach/Director of Rugby for next season. OAs current boss James Shanahan accepted the Head Coach role at Blackheath last week, but he and this current crop of players at Woolams are desperate to end a positive season on a high. OAs were promoted back into National One last May and Shanahan and his side look as though they have done enough to maintain their status at this level for another year.

Currently, OAs sit 10^th in the table and 20 points clear of the bottom two, but they will be keen to put an end to some disappointing recent form. With a whole host of injuries, OAs have won just one of their last five matches, but a trip to bottom of the table Macclesfield could present the chance for the OAs to clinch their second away victory on the bounce.

Macclesfield would have taken a lot of positives from their defeat against Rosslyn Park last weekend, but ill-discipline cost them any chance of getting a result in London. Head Coach Giles Heagerty told the club’s website this week that Macc have made ‘big steps forward’ over the last month and he will be hoping they can now turn some encouraging performances into victories.

The Blues sit bottom of the table as things stand and 14 they are points off safety. Their task to beat the drop was made harder by Blaydon winning last Saturday, but Macc do have game in hand against relegation rivals Hull Ionians next weekend which could give them a lifeline. However, they may feel they need to get a result this Saturday to capitalise on that game in hand so just a third win of the season could give the Cheshire side a glimmer of hope that they could survive.

Fylde v Blaydon

For both of these sides, last weekend was one which they may look back on as the turning point in their season. For hosts Fylde, a first away win in over a year and a second win on the bounce has eased any relegation fears they may have had whilst the revival is well and truly on at Blaydon after victory over Esher.

Fylde are back at Woodlands this weekend looking to continue their positive results on their own turf this term. Seven of their eight wins have come in Lancashire including victories over Plymouth Albion and Coventry. Paul Arnold’s men will be without David Fairbrother for four weeks after he was banned for a high tackle he made last month, but with spirits high after back to back victories, Fylde will be hoping for another big result this Saturday.

Three wins out of the last four games has seen Blaydon’s survival bid spark into life. Their victory over Esher six days ago lifted Mickey Ward’s side out of the bottom two and now they have a two point cushion between themselves and the relegation zone.

Blaydon have been in National One for 10 straight seasons and they are doing their upmost to continue their stay at this level. The north-east side have shown their qualities over the last few weeks and they now have every chance of gaining a result in Lancashire. Blaydon have won just once on the road but they are more than capable of doubling that total tomorrow.