Fixtures provide another intriguing week in National Two North
Otley and Harroagte are just two of the sides looking to maintain their good recent form
©David Aspinall
Macclesfield will be looking to make it 11 straight wins this weekend which will leave them in a comfortable position heading into December.
Sedgley Park hit back with a win last weekend as they continue to try and close the gap on Giles Heagarty’s side.
Otley and Stourbridge have their sights set on staying in the top four after this weekend while, Sandal and Caldy will be hoping to return to winning ways.
Elsewhere, something has got to give when in-form Harrogate and Preston Grasshoppers face each other in Yorkshire and the Luctonians will be looking to build on their vital win from last Saturday.
Huddersfield v Macclesfield
Current National Two North champions Hull Ionians managed to win 10 straight games last season and in this campaign, Macclesfield can go one better than that if they beat Huddersfield this weekend.
Macclesfield are - at present - the league leaders in this year’s National Two North competition and will make it 11 victories in a row if they triumph at Lockwood Park on Saturday.
The Blues’ only defeat this season came away from home on the opening day of the season at Stourbridge and since then they have won all three of their other away games.
As for Huddersfield, their home results have been the only thing to smile about this season for the Yorkshire side. Four wins from six on home soil is certainly the plus point in what has been a tough campaign so far.
‘Field have lost all five of their away matches and have won just two of their last five games overall, but will be looking to keep Lockwood Park a fortress if they are to clamber out of the relegation zone.
Sedgley Park v Sale FC
Both of these sides returned to winning ways last weekend with Sedgley hoping that their bad run of form is now firmly behind them. Sedge topped the table after eight weeks of National Two North action but since then, they have been playing catch-up with a Macclesfield side that are firing on all cylinders.
Sedgley suffered their first home defeat of the season two weeks ago when they were upstaged by Stourbridge so will be looking to put that right this Saturday at Park Lane.
In terms of Sale FC, they ended a run of two straight defeats with their fourth home win of the campaign against Huddersfield last weekend, but it’s their away form which might be a slight cause for concern.
Sale are currently 10th in the table, but have lost four of their five away matches so far this campaign. If they were to secure their second victory on the road this weekend, it would be a real scalp in this Manchester derby.
Otley v Tynedale
Otley are certainly one of the form sides in this division. Just one defeat in their last seven has propelled them up to third in the table - which is their highest position they have been in since October of last year. Otley have won three games at Cross Green this season and haven’t lost in the front of their own supporters since September.
As for Tynedale, they were beaten by Stourbridge last Saturday as they failed to build upon their three wins so far this season. Life hasn’t been easy for Tyne since relegation from National One and they travel to Yorkshire this Saturday in search of their first away win of the season. Tyne have lost all six of their matches on their travels so far.
Chester v Stourbridge
It’s amazing how much difference a year can make. This time 12 months ago, Chester were in the mix for a potential promotion place while Stourbridge were struggling in the bottom half of the division.
Now, the tables have turned. Chester are finding it difficult to get consistency into their performances, while Stourbridge are soaring up the table as the Midlands side find themselves 4th in the league.
Stour have lost just one of the last seven games and have won three of their six matches away from home thus far.
In terms of their hosts, Chester are desperate to find a spark that will kick-start their season. They did win four of their first five games, but since then they have lost four of their last six matches.
Their home form is probably the most disappointing thing to come out of this season so far, Just two wins from six matches has really hampered their progress and they may look to the corresponding fixture last season for inspiration when they beat Stour 31-28.
Leicester Lions v Caldy
Caldy currently have the worst form in the league having lost three and drawn one of their last four matches.
This tough run of results saw Caldy drop out of the top four last weekend but also they have faded away into the background after being close to frontrunners Sedgley Park and Macclesfield a few weeks ago.
This Saturday’s fixture will be Caldy’s eighth away game this season and they will be going in search of their fifth win on the road which could get their season back on track.
Leicester Lions have really had a mixed bag of results since the start of October. After winning four of their first five games, they have now won just two matches since then.
Having said that, they do remain just five points off third place and are unbeaten at Westleigh Park so far this season. The Lions also won this fixture 33-19 back in October of last year.
Sandal v Broadstreet
Another side that hasn’t been too consistent recently are Sandal. They have really impressed since promotion to National Two North and seven wins from 11 matches highlights that.
They had won six of those games in the opening seven weeks of the season, but now the Yorkshire outfit have managed just one win in their last four games.
Sandal are a formidable force at home having won five of their six games at Milnethorpe this season and they have lost just four of their last 45 matches on home soil.
As for Broadstreet, they suffered a real blow when they were defeated by the Luctonians last Saturday which meant the former Midlands champions dropped to the foot of the table.
‘Street have won just two games this season and are yet to pick up an away win so far this campaign. They have also won just six of their last 21 away matches so they may well be expecting another uphill battle this Saturday.
Harrogate v Preston Grasshoppers
Harrogate are slowly starting to turn their season around. The signs have been their over the last four weeks after the team from Ruddling Park have picked up three wins in that time after a laboured start to this season.
‘Gate are currently eighth in the table and have three home wins to their name this season and will be hoping to keep their good home record up against Preston this Saturday.
In terms of Preston, they are side that have certainly improved over the last couple of weeks. The Hoppers are full of confidence after back to back wins including an impressive victory over Sandal last week. If Garth Dew’s men are to win this encounter with Harrogate this weekend, it will be the first time since last season that Preston have won three games on the spin.
Luctonians v South Leicester
The Luctonians’ away win last weekend against Broadstreet was vital in their bid to move away from danger after a tough start to this season.
The Lucts are currently 15th in the table - six points from safety – and have won just twice this campaign so far.
Despite this, they have only lost one of their last three matches and will be looking to double the tally of victories at Moritmer Park this weekend when they welcome South Leicester.
South Leicester will make the 99 mile journey to Herefordshire looking for their fifth win of the season. South have lost their way slightly in the last couple of weeks having lost their last two games, but know they must improve on their away form if they are to keep away from danger.
Just one win from five away games this season isn’t worrying just yet, but a defeat on Saturday may well enhance the warning signs for the 11th placed side.
