Caldy looking to head into March in complete control

It has been a perfect 2017 for league leaders Caldy and with one final fixture of February still left to play, Simon Verbickas’ side will be keen to begin the penultimate month of the season in the driving seat.

Caldy currently top this division by 10 points with eight games left to play and the Wirral side are fully aware of the position they are in as we approach the climax of this season. It is now theirs to lose and they will be aiming to extend their 21 match unbeaten run this Saturday when they take the trip to Luctonians.

Below the Wirral side, is another club that is control of their own fate. Second placed Sale FC picked up a crucial win over Leicester Lions last weekend which leaves them 17 points clear of third place and with one foot in the play-off match. That aforementioned third position currently belongs to Leicester Lions and they know any hopes they have of finishing in the top two are hanging by a thread as they prepare to host Wharefdale tomorrow.

At the wrong end of the table, Harrogate will be looking to continue their revival while Preston Grasshoppers, Sheffield Tigers and Scunthorpe will be desperate to gain a victory this Saturday with the sides above them now starting to find some form at this crucial stage of the season.

Luctonians v Caldy

Two weeks ago, Luctonians gave themselves a real boost. After just one win in 11 matches, the men from Mortimer Park were starting to look nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone, but a victory over Sedgley Park helped ease the nerves. Last Saturday, they were narrowly edged out by top six side Chester and it doesn’t get any easier for Alex Davidson’s men in Round 23 as they host league leaders Caldy.

The Lucts have picked up five points from their last two matches which leaves them six clear of the bottom three and with them being back on home soil this weekend, they will be eyeing up consecutive victories at Mortimer Park as they continue to try and steer themselves clear of trouble.

It will be a tough test for Luctonians though as they welcome an unstoppable Caldy side to Herefordshire. The table toppers are 10 points clear at the summit as they head into their final game of the month and they have not put a foot wrong since the turn of the year.

Simon Verbickas’ men could easily have crumbled under the pressure, especially as second placed Sale FC have not made a mistake either, but the Wirral side have continued their momentum and travel to Luctonians this weekend aiming to take another step  towards the third tier of English rugby.

Harrogate v Sale FC

It has been quite the turnaround for Harrogate. After ending 2016 in the relegation zone and with a huge task on their hands to dig themselves out of danger, the men from Rudding Lane have completely changed the outlook of their season since the beginning of this year.

They welcome Sale FC to Yorkshire this Saturday having won four of their last five games meaning they are now seven points clear of the drop. They edged out Scunthorpe last Saturday thanks to another superb performance by David Doherty, but he will be the first to tell you that this change in fortunes for ‘Gate is a team effort.

We have to applaud Harrogate’s turnaround, but the progress Sale FC have made over the last 12 months has been remarkable. This time last year, the men from Heywood Road were battling relegation and they looked like one of the favourites to drop into National Three, but they were able to survive on the final day and book their place in the fourth-tier of English rugby for another season.

Since then, the only way has been up for Jonathan Keep’s side. Last weekend, they took a huge step towards the play-off spot after a convincing victory over Leicester Lions and now Sale FC find themselves 17 points clear of the rest of the field heading into the final two months of the campaign. It has been an astonishing rise by Sale and seven wins in a row has guided them to this position. Can they make it eight in Yorkshire this weekend and move closer to the play-off?

Leicester Lions v Wharfedale

Leicester Lions are now playing a game of catch-up for the rest of this season. Andy Key’s men fell to a defeat against promotion rivals Sale FC last weekend and now the Lions find themselves 17 points adrift of the top two places. The Midlands side do have game in hand against bottom of the table Preston Grasshoppers next week, but now they cannot afford any more slip ups if they still have any hopes of bettering their third placed finish of last term.

It is hard to believe that Leicester’s top two ambitions are all but over when they have lost just two of their last nine games but both losses came against promotion candidates. Now, their focus will be on this weekend when they host Wharfedale at Westleigh Park. The Lions have won nine times on their own turf this season and a 10^th triumph would keep their hopes of finishing in the top two alive.

Wharfedale ended Stourbridge’s promotion dreams last weekend and they may well dash Leicester Lions’ ambitions this Saturday. A superb win over Stour last Saturday has seen Dale get their revival back on track as they are now five points clear of the drop and they do have a game in hand.

That fixture is against Tynedale next Saturday, but first on the agenda for James Doherty’s men is an away trip to Leicester Lions. All seven of Dale’s wins this season have been at home so they are still searching for their maiden away victory at this level since relegation from National One last May. Wharfedale lost to relegation threatened Sheffield Tigers in their last outing so they will need to vastly improve on that performance if they are to claim a result this weekend.

Stourbridge v Sedgley Park

Stourbridge and Sedgley Park meet at Stourton Park tomorrow with their campaigns already over. This will be a major disappointment to both sides considering they had top two ambitions at the start of this season and even at the beginning of 2017, but patchy results have ended their hopes for another term.

The hosts Stour have lost their last two games and now find themselves 20 points off Sale FC. Neil Mitchell’s side are in need of a response and they are aiming to get back to winning ways this Saturday. Their 100 per cent home record was ended by Sale FC two weeks ago so they will be itching to secure their 11^th victory at Stourton Park this weekend to end a difficult month on a high.

Sedgley Park will head to the Midlands this weekend in reasonable spirits. They returned to winning ways last Saturday thanks to a home victory against Sheffield Tigers, but Dean Schofield’s side have known for  a couple of weeks that a second successive finish in the top two now looks to be out of their reach.

The men from Park Lane will now be hoping to complete these final eight matches of the season in a positive fashion. Sedge travel to Stourton Park having won just two of their last five games and also they have only picked up three victories on the road this term. They are only three points clear of fifth placed Stour, so Sedge will be keen to extend that gap this weekend.

Sheffield Tigers v Chester

Following victory over Wharfedale in Round 21, Sheffield Tigers travelled to Sedgley Park and despite a defeat, they put in a spirited performance and thoroughly deserved their four-try bonus-point last weekend. That single point may become crucial for the Tigers in their fight against relegation, but their focus will be purely on this home fixture with Chester tomorrow.

As things stand, the men from Dore Moor are 11 points from safety, but after the new regulation regarding relegation was introduced for this season as a result of London Welsh’s demise from the Championship, 14^th place may be enough to save a side in this division. With that in mind, Sheffield are only six points behind Scunthorpe (who occupy that spot) and a second home win on the trot would certainly boost their chances of potentially avoiding an immediate return to National Three.

They will be in for a tough game this weekend as Chester travel to Yorkshire in fine form. In fact, it is the best run of results the Cheshire side have had all season. The men from Hare Lane have won six of their last seven games and it looks as though a top six finish is certainly on the cards for Nick Joseph’s side.

Consistency was the real issue in the first part of this season for Chester, but it looks as though they have found a solution to that problem since the turn of the year. Chester travel to Dore Moor tomorrow having won their last three away matches and with them playing with so much confidence at the moment, you wouldn’t bet against them adding to that total this weekend.

Tynedale v Otley

Both Tynedale and Otley maybe heading into this weekend’s fixture thinking they would’ve liked it to have been the other way around. Hosts Tyndale have performed superbly on the road this term – winning their last six matches – while Otley have been near enough perfect at Cross Green with nine of their 10 wins coming on their own turf.

As it is, Tyne will be welcoming Otley to Corbridge tomorrow looking to further cement their place in the top half of the table. The aforementioned run of six wins on the bounce away from home has helped them up to seventh in the table and overall, Tyne have won three of their last four matches. At home, Scott Lawson’s men have triumphed on five occasions and considering Otley have travelled so poorly this season, the north-east side may fancy their chances of securing their sixth victory of the campaign in front of their own supporters.

Otley know all about gaining results on home turf, but they will be eager to try and emulate those performances on their travels in their remaining four away matches of the season. Their contrast in results has stood out like a sore thumb this term because it is clear Otley have the capabilities to produce positive results on the road as well as at Cross Green.

They do travel to Tynedale tomorrow in high spirts because after five straight defeats, they have won their last two matches and they will now be aiming to make it a fantastic February. Otley’s only away win this season came just under two months against Sheffield Tigers and they will be looking to double their tally tomorrow when they head north.

South Leicester v Preston Grasshoppers

You cannot doubt that South Leicester have had a great season this year. After fending off relegation in the last campaign, South have improved dramatically this term, but they are now in danger of taking the shine off what has been an excellent 2016/17 season.

Since the turn of the year, the Midlands side have won just twice which has seen them drop from sixth down to eighth in the table. They are in no danger of being dragged into another relegation battle at this stage of the season, but the men from Welford Road will be keen to halt this slide. Both of South’s victories this year have come at home so they will be keen to claim their sixth triumph of the season on the own turf as they look to end the month positively.

Their opponents this weekend are Preston Grasshoppers. The Lancashire side are bottom of this division and following a defeat to Tynedale last weekend, Garth Dew’s men now lie 14 points from safety with not a lot of games remaining.

Unlike some of their relegation rivals, Hoppers have a game in hand next week at home to Leicester Lions, but they must focus on getting a result this weekend especially with the likes of Harrogate and Wharfedale starting to hit a good run of form. Hoppers are only nine points off 14^th place, which may be another to keep them in this division, but their priority needs to be this weekend as they go in search of their second away win of the season.

Hinckley v Scunthorpe

Hinckley and Scunthorpe both achieved promotion into this division from National Three Midlands last May, but both have suffered contrasting fortunes at this level. The hosts Hinckley had a wretched start to life in the fourth-tier as they picked up just one win from their first seven matches, but a run of seven straight wins looks to have helped the Leicestershire side secure their place in this division for another term.

Since Round 15, Hinckley have endured some tough fixtures which has only seen Chris Campbell’s side achieve three wins from their last nine games. It is far from disastrous for the men from Leicester Road as they are ninth in the table and 18 points clear of the drop, but they will be keen to find some positive consistency once again in their remaining eight matches of the season.

As for the visitors Scunthorpe, they had the opposite start to their time in National Two North. Four wins from their first eight matches was a good return for the Lincolnshire side, but since then, they have only managed to pick up three victories in their last 14 matches which has seen the National Three Midlands champions slip into the bottom three.

Just one win since the turn of the year means the Greens are now five points from safety as they currently occupy 14^th spot in the table. That position could be enough to save them this term following the new ruling after London Welsh’s exit from the Championship, but the aim for Scunthorpe has to be finishing outside the drop zone. It is still very much achievable for Scunthorpe and a sixth home win of the campaign would edge them closer to safety.