Hull Ionians and Macclesfield aiming to kick-start revivals
Both Macclesfield (pictured) and Hull Ionians will be craving a victory from their relegation clash this Saturday
©Nick Jones
As we approach the final third of the National One season results seem to matter more than they did at the beginning of the campaign and that theory certainly applies to sides batting to avoid relegation.
Fixtures against fellow teams aiming to survive the drop carry extra significance too and Hull Ionians’ clash with Macclesfield is a case in point this weekend. Both sides find themselves in the bottom three and both are desperate for the points as they aim to dig themselves out of trouble.
The other side currently occupying a place in the bottom three are Blaydon who face a tough home fixture against Birmingham Moseley whilst just outside the relegation zone are Esher who travel to fourth placed Plymouth Albion.
At the top of National One, runaway leaders Hartpury College will be aiming for their 18th straight win when they take the trip to Fylde, Blackheath have their sights set on continuing their recent good dorm whilst Ampthill and District aim to return to winning ways.
Fylde v Hartpury College
League leaders Hartpury College travel to Lancashire this weekend to take on Fylde as they look to extend their 17 match winning streak. It has been a remarkable season for Hartpury so far and yet another victory this weekend would see them edge closer to securing a spot in the Championship for next term.
College take the trip to Woodlands tomorrow having dropped just one point all season and they currently lead the way in the division by 23 points. It seems highly unlikely that John Barnes’ side won’t be lifting the National One title in April, but they are keen to remain focused as they aim for win number 18.
Their hosts, Fylde, currently occupy 12th in the table, seven points clear of the bottom three. Their home form this season is the main reason why Paul Arnold’s men still have their heads above water as all six of their victories in this campaign have come on home soil. This won’t be straight forward for Hartpury as Fylde have beaten Plymouth Albion and Ampthill & District at Woodlands, but even with a positive home record, it will be a tough ask for Fylde this weekend.
Blaydon v Birmingham Moseley
After slotting themselves back into second place last weekend, Birmingham Moseley travel north to take on relegation threatened Blaydon in Round 18. The hosts this Saturday sit in 15th place and they are 12 points adrift of safety as things stand. So far this term, they have secured only two victories – against Fylde and Hull Ionians – and things are starting to look worrying for the Crows.
But, Blaydon have shown snippets that they can recover and pull off a great escape. Spirited performances against Coventry, Cambridge and most recently Darlington Mowden Park have highlighted what the north-east side are capable of but they now need to turn those sorts of displays into victories.
Last Saturday, Birmingham Moseley would have been happy to begin 2017 with maximum points following two defeats before Christmas against Hartpury College and Coventry. Both of the aforementioned losses came on the road so this fixture with Blaydon presents Moseley with the chance to secure their first away win in just under two months.
At present, Kevin Maggs’ side sit 23 points behind league leaders Hartpury, but the Midlands outfit will now be aiming to perform to a high standard in the second-half of the campaign in order to put the foundations in place for another crack at promotion next season.
Coventry v Blackheath
Blackheath are on the road this weekend as they visit Coventry looking to build on their emphatic victory over Fylde which they achieved six days ago. ‘Club’ beat Cov 42-5 in the reserve fixture back in Round Four and since then, they have continued to perform strongly.
The men from Well Hall lie third in the division as things stand and travel to the Midlands having won five of their nine fixtures away from home. Blackheath finished third last season and the London-based side will be hoping to replicate that this term.
As for Coventry, they come into this game with Blackheath currently on a four match unbeaten run and they will eager to continue their excellent home record which they strung together in the first-half of this season.
Rowland Winter’s side have won on 10 occasions so far this term and eight of them have come at the Butts Park Arena. Cov are only eight points off Blackheath so another home triumph this weekend could open the door for Coventry to aim for a top three finish this season.
Plymouth Albion v Esher
Plymouth Albion return to Brickfields this weekend looking for their first win of 2017. After the departure of Head Coach Dan Parkes, Kieran Hallet has taken over the reins at Albion and so far he is still adapting to his player/coach role.
Under his stewardship, Plymouth have won one of their last three games and they prepare to welcome Esher to the south-coast on the back of successive defeats against Hartpury College and Rosslyn Park. However, Albion have won eight of their nine matches on home soil this term and despite all the upheaval at the club, they are only three points behind second placed Birmingham Moseley.
Plymouth are heavy favourites to secure their maiden win of the New Year against an Esher side that has not travelled well this season. The Surrey outfit sit one place above the relegation zone as things stand and they are only five points ahead of the bottom three.
The men from Moseley Road have won five times this season and all five of their victories have come at home meaning an away triumph has eluded them so far. Esher travel to Plymouth having won just one of their last five matches so their task this weekend is to end their poor recent form by securing their first away victory since February 2016.
Ampthill and District v Loughborough Students
Ampthill and District will be looking for a reaction this weekend following their defeat to Darlington Mowden Park in Round 17. The A’s had headed to the north-east last Saturday on a six game winning run, but that was halted by DMP and now Mark Lavery and Paul Turner’s men need to regroup and respond positively.
The Bedfordshire side currently sit in fifth place, but they are only four points behind Birmingham Moseley who occupy the silver medal position as things stand. Ampthill welcome Loughborough to Dillingham Park this weekend having won seven of their nine matches on home soil with their last defeat on their own patch coming against Blackheath back in October.
It was a frantic beginning to the New Year for Loughborough Students, but they will not mind that one bit as they eventually secured a 52-34 victory over Blaydon in open contest last weekend. The Students continue to impress this season and their latest win in Round 17 keeps them in the top half of the table and on course for their highest ever finish at this level.
The Midlands side travel to Ampthill this weekend having won just two of their last five matches and they have picked up three victories from their nine away games so far this season. Loughborough narrowly missed out (37-29) last time the sides met back in September and they will have to put in a similar kind of performance in order to obtain a positive result this weekend.
Rosslyn Park v Old Albanian
Rosslyn Park picked up from where they left off in 2016 last weekend with a superb victory over Plymouth Albion at the Rock. Their ninth win of the season keeps them in the top half of the National One table and confidence remains high amongst the squad as they prepare to welcome Old Albanian to London this weekend.
Park have won their last three matches and they have also been very solid at home. Six of their nine wins this term have come on their own turf and there are no signs that their recent good form is about to end any time soon.
James Shanahan’s Old Albanian will be hoping to take the wind out of the Rosslyn Park sails though. The OAs picked up a crucial win over Cambridge last Saturday and the side promoted via the National Two play-off last season continue to look strong on their return to the third tier of English rugby.
The men from Woolams currently occupy ninth place in the table, 16 points clear of the relegation zone, but they head into this fixture with Rosslyn Park only six points behind them. It is a case of looking forward rather than behind for the OAs at the moment and their sights will be firmly set on a top-half spot if they are to achieve their ninth victory of the season this Saturday.
Cambridge v Darlington Mowden Park
Darlington Mowden Park travel south to Volac Park this weekend to take on Cambridge as they look to build on a superb start to 2017. Their win over Ampthill and District continued a decent run of form that DMP currently find themselves on as they head into this fixture unbeaten in their last three matches.
Those recent results have been vital for DMP who have lifted themselves up to 11th in the table and eight points clear of the relegation zone after teetering on the edge of the bottom three before the start of December. DMP have won just two of their nine games on their travels this season, but with spirits seemingly high at the Northern Echo Arena, they may well fancy their chances of securing back to back away wins this weekend.
In terms of Cambridge, they currently sit a place above Darlington in the table courtesy of a single point. The Blood and Sand were on the wrong end of a tight encounter with old foes Old Albanian last Saturday which means they come into this clash with DMP having not won in their last three matches.
Ross Stewart and his players will be looking to put that right as soon as possible, starting with a fifth home win of the season as the newly-promoted side aim to keep their distance between themselves and the relegation zone.
Hull Ionians v Macclesfield
The last two champions of National Two North meet at Brantingham Park this weekend with both sides currently occupying positions in the bottom three of National One. The hosts, Hull Ionians, sit 14th in the division and five points adrift of safety as they welcome bottom of the table Macclesfield to Humberside tomorrow.
The I’s have all the capabilities to dig themselves out of trouble and a five point margin can be easily overturned. Hull have won on five occasions this season, four of which have come on home soil. In fact, they head into this crunch match with Macclesfield on the back of two successive home victories so Alex Crockett’s side will be hoping they can add to that this weekend as they aim to take a huge step towards survival.
Macclesfield’s situation isn’t as straightforward as Hull Ionians’. The Cheshire outfit sit at the foot of the league standings and they are currently 15 points from safety as things stand. That is a huge deficit for the men from Priory Park to overturn and they must start securing victories as soon as possible otherwise their time in National One will come to an end.
After promotion from the fourth-tier last May, life back in National One hasn’t been rosy for Macc. They have picked up just two wins all season and they travel to East Yorkshire this weekend having lost seven games on the spin. Things need to change quickly for the Blues and a first away victory of the season could be the catalyst they need to pull off a remarkable revival.
