Caldy aiming to continue momentum

National Two North league leaders Caldy will want to get 2017 off to a winning start as they look to maintain their advantage at the top of this division.

The Wirral side are currently on a 15 game unbeaten run which has left them nine points clear at the summit and firmly in control of their own fate as things stand.

Second placed Sale FC continue to hunt Simon Verbickas’ men down whilst Sedgley Park, Leicester Lions and Stourbridge have their sights set on breaking into the top two.

Down at the bottom, Preston Grasshoppers and Sheffield Tigers will be hoping 2017 can be the start of a revival whereas Harrogate and Wharfedale will be desperate to stay on the road to survival.

Caldy v Scunthorpe

Caldy ended 2016 on top of National Two North and are in a great position to challenge for promotion and the league title. Simon Verbickas’ side concluded the year with a 21-3 victory over Chester which extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches and maintained their nine point lead at the summit of this division.

After two very strong seasons, which saw them finish sixth and fifth respectively, this certainly is Caldy’s best chance of taking that next step and it would be an outstanding achievement if they were to gain a spot in National One for next season. The Wirral-based side welcome Scunthorpe to Paton Fields this weekend having won all seven of their matches on home soil this term.

Like Caldy, Scunthorpe completed last year in positive fashion and it was exactly what the men from Heslam Park needed. The newly-promoted side were in the bottom three at the end of Round 14, but back to back wins against the Luctonians and Sheffield Tigers saw them move clear of danger and now Scunthorpe sit five points clear of the drop zone.

The two victories arrested a run of six straight defeats and now Scunthorpe will be hoping to build on that as they aim for survival in 2017. They travel to Cheshire having won just once on the road this season (which came on October 22^nd against Harrogate) and it will be a tough ask for them to double that tally this weekend against a rampant Caldy outfit.

Tynedale v Sale FC

Tynedale will be very satisfied with the way they finished the first-half of the season. After winning just two of their first nine games, Tyne are currently on a superb run and entered the festive period on the back of six wins from seven matches. Their upturn in form has seen the north-east side move up to seventh in the league standings and fortunes certainly seem to be changing at Corbridge.

It was a tough season both on and off the pitch in 2015/16 for Scott Lawson’s men, but now that is firmly at the back of their minds as they look to kick on and continue their excellent recent sequence of results. They begin 2017 back at home where they have won on four occasions this term.

Their visitors are second placed Sale FC who have undoubtedly been the surprise package of the season so far. After fighting off relegation on the final day of the last campaign, the turnaround has been remarkable from the Manchester-based club and I don’t think they would’ve believed they would be in the top two at the start of 2017.

They fully deserve to be where they are too. Jonathan Keep’s side have won 13 of their 16 games this term which leaves them four points clear of third placed Sedgley Park and now Sale will be keen to pick up from where they left off and begin the New Year strongly. They take the trip north this weekend having won five of their seven matches on the road so far this campaign and they will be fully aware of the tough challenge which they face if they are to get 2017 off to a winning start.

Otley v Sedgley Park

One of the standout things to come out of the first-half of the season were some impressive and unbeaten home records from a number of the teams in National Two North. One of those sides were Otley and their performances at Cross Green this campaign are the main reason why they have been able to put clear daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

The Yorkshire side have won eight times so far this term, but seven of the victories have come at home. Otley have a 100 per cent record in front of their own supporters and their superb run of form at Cross Green means they currently sit ninth in the table.

Their target for win number eight is third placed Sedgley Park who will want to begin hunting down the top two as quickly as possible. Once again Dean Schofield’s side are in the mix for a possible promotion place and a run of four games unbeaten has certainly helped their cause after a sticky patch of form in November.

The Tigers are just four points behind Sale FC and take the trip to Yorkshire this weekend looking for only their third away victory of the season. Like Otley, Sedge’s home record has been excellent, but now they must improve their performances on the road if they are to manoeuvre themselves into the top two.

Sheffield Tigers v Stourbridge

It was a miserable end to 2016 for Sheffield Tigers. They were crowned champions of National Three North in May before beginning life in National Two North with four wins from their first eight matches. Things were looking rosy at Dore Moor, but their fortunes dramatically changed.

Following their excellent win over Sedgley Park at the end of October, Sheffield lost eight straight matches and that is the run which they are currently on. It has meant they have slipped down the table and into the bottom three and now the Tigers are four points from safety. The newly-promoted side now need to dust themselves down and put a halt to their wretched run of results otherwise the Tigers could face an immediate return to the fifth-tier of English rugby.

In contrast, Stourbridge are still very much in the hunt for a top two spot this season. The Midlands side are once again having a strong campaign, but a major factor in why they currently occupy fourth spot in table is down to their home form.

Stour have won 11 of their 16 matches this term, but nine of them have come at Stourton Park. Away victories have been sparse for Neil Mitchell’s side and they will want wins on the road to become more frequent in the second half of the season. Stour are only seven points behind second placed Sale and they will feel confident of keeping them in their sights after this weekend as they aim for a third victory on their travels.

Luctonians v Leicester Lions

It just hasn’t been the Luctonians’ season this term. After a sensational campaign in 2015/16 which saw them finish sixth in the table, it looked as though the Lucts were continuing their momentum at the beginning of this season as they achieved four wins from their first six matches.

However, that has not been the case. Injuries mixed in with other factors has seen Alex Davidson’s men slide down the league standings as they have only achieved one victory in their last eight games. That run of form leaves them 11^th in the table and nine points clear of the drop so they really need to arrest their poor sequence of results sooner rather than later otherwise they could be dragged into a relegation battle.

Leicester Lions are currently embroiled in a battle of a completely different kind as they continue to fight for a top two spot in this division. A crucial win over neighbours South Leicester just before Christmas meant the Lions sit nine points behind second placed Sale FC, but vitally they also have a game in hand.

Andy Key’s side are continuing to build on last season’s third place finish, but they know if they stand any chance of breaking into the top two, they cannot afford to drop too many points between now and the end of the season in April. The Lions travel to Herefordshire having won their last three games and they have also won four times on the road this term. They will fancy their chances of making that five away victories tomorrow.

South Leicester v Harrogate

With the likes of Caldy and Sale FC grabbing the headlines on numerous occasions this season due to their excellent performances, it seems as though South Leicester’s superb progress has gone slightly under the radar. The Midlands side were in a relegation battle in the last campaign, but managed to survive and now they have built on that in some style.

South currently occupy sixth place in the league standings which is a remarkable achievement considering where they were this time last year. The men from Welford Road have accumulated a staggering 14 bonus-points to go with their seven wins this season which has played a huge part in their success thus far. Their first task of 2017 is a home fixture against Harrogate where South have won just three times this term.

Three wins in six games for Harrogate has been the catalyst for their revival after a torrid start to the 2016/17 season. ‘Gate won just one of their first eight matches which meant they were sitting rock bottom of this division, but inspired performances from Director of Rugby and full-back David Doherty sparked their season into life.

The Yorkshire side picked up three straight home victories which has helped them move to within three points of safety at the start of 2017. They did end last year with back to back defeats that dampened their resurgence slightly, but the men from Rudding Lane will be eager to kick-start this year on the front foot. If they are to do that, they must secure their first away win of the season this weekend and end a run of seven straight losses on the road.

Preston Grasshoppers v Chester

Garth Dew and his side will be looking to turn over a new leaf in 2017 after a first-half of the season which they will want to forget. The Hoppers are currently rooted to the foot of the National Two North table and find themselves seven points adrift of safety at the beginning of the New Year. However, there are actually a couple of reasons why Preston should feel positive heading into this fixture with Chester.

Their results in 2016 weren’t as bad as their league position makes out as they have suffered narrow losses on 11 occasions this season which suggests they do have the quality to turn things around. Also, the Hoppers do have a game in hand over their relegation rivals but that will only count for something if they are able to start churning out victories, beginning with this clash against Chester.

If I was to describe the first-half of the season for Chester, I would have to split it into thirds. One win from their first four matches was not the start the men from Hare Lane had in mind, but six victories from seven matches between October and November saw the Cheshire side catapult their way into the promotion mix.

However, they have been unable to build on that as Chester failed to win any of their last five games of 2016 which has seen them fall away from the top positions in the division and they now occupy eighth in the table as things stand. They take the short trip to Lightfoot Green looking for their third away triumph of the term. Their first victory of this season came against Preston so can their opening win of the New Year also come against the same opposition?

Hinckley v Wharfedale

Chris Campbell and his Hinckley side will have enjoyed browsing the National Two North table over the festive period. Having earnt promotion via the National Three play-off in May of last year, the Midlands side found it tough to adapt to life in the fourth tier of English rugby as they won just one of their first seven matches.

However, the tables turned in Hinckley’s favour as they embarked on a six game winning streak which saw them move out of the bottom three and up to 10^th in the league standings. They did end 2016 with narrow defeats against three of the top five sides in the division which leaves them 12 points clear of the drop as things stand, but there were positives to take from those fixtures They welcome Wharfedale to Leicester Road tomorrow looking to return to winning ways and continue what has been a steady term for them thus far.

For large parts of the first-half of the season, Wharfedale looked in serious trouble. A long list of injuries meant they found positive results hard to come by and the Yorkshire side were languishing in the bottom three after just two wins from their first 10 matches.

The side relegated from National One last season were staring another tough term in the face, but fears of another bottom three scrap were lifted in the final few weeks of 2016. Three straight home wins has seen Dale jump out of the drop zone and now they are three points clear of 14^th placed Harrogate at the start of the New Year. They travel to Hinckley this weekend in search of their first away win of the season as they look to continue to move away from danger.