Stourbridge and Leicester Lions put promotion bids to the test

It is getting to that time of the season where every game seems to become a ‘big’ game and that certainly applies to Stourbridge’s clash with Leicester Lions in Round 19.

Third meets fourth in National Two North with both sides looking to continue their promotion pushes knowing that any setbacks between now and the end of April could prove costly to their ambitions of finishing in the top two in this division.

Stourbridge and Caldy are hunting down second placed Sale FC who are on the road this weekend looking to increase the gap between themselves and the chasing pack. League leaders Caldy are also on their travels looking to extend their unbeaten run to 18 matches and maintain their advantage at the summit.

At the wrong end of the table, there are two tasty looking relegation battles taking place this weekend as Preston Grasshoppers welcome Scunthorpe to Lightfoot Green while a buoyant Harrogate side travel to Sheffield Tigers.

Elsewhere, Sedgley Park will be hoping for a response against Tynedale, Chester go to Hinckley and South Leicester host Wharfedale.

Otley v Caldy

League leaders Caldy travel to Otley this weekend as they look to continue their faultless start to 2017. After beginning the New Year with a nine point lead at the top of National Two North, Simon Verbickas’ men have shown no signs of the pressure getting to them as they have brushed aside Scunthorpe and Preston Grasshoppers so far this month.

They have also been able to extend their lead at the top to 10 points and now they face their first away fixture of year this Saturday.  Caldy have won seven of their nine matches on the road so far this term and they have not dropped points on their travels since October when they were held to a draw by South Leicester. Otley were Caldy’s first opponents at home this season where they won 34-3 and the Wirral side will be hoping for a similar result this weekend.

In terms of Otley, 2017 has been a year to forget so far. The men from Cross Green have lost both of their opening fixtures of the New Year and have now slipped down to 10^th in the division. Their 100 per cent home record also came to an end two weeks ago when they were beaten by Sedgley Park and the Yorkshire side will now be looking to get back on track this weekend.

Otley have won eight of their 18 matches this season, but seven of them have come on home soil. They seem to be a different side when playing in front of their own supporters and they will be hoping home advantage can play its part again this weekend as they look to inflict a first defeat on Caldy since the opening day of the campaign.

Luctonians v Sale FC

Luctonians host Sale FC this weekend looking to end a wretched run of form. It hasn’t been easy for the Herefordshire side as they have suffered injuries to some of their key players, but they are in real danger of being dragged into a relegation scrap. As they prepare to welcome Sale FC to Moritmer Park this weekend, the Lucts have won just one of their last 12 matches.

Alex Davidson’s sides’ only victory in that time came against Preston Grasshoppers at the start of November and this poor run of results as meant that the Lucts are now 11^th in the table and only five points clear of the relegation zone. Three of their five wins have come at home this term and they will be eager to add to that total this Saturday as they look to move themselves away from trouble.

Roles seemed to have been reversed between these two clubs. Last season, Luctonians were flying high while Sale FC were fighting for their National Two North status, but now things are very different. Not many people would have expected to see Sale comfortably in the top half of this division at this stage of the season, let alone firmly in the hunt for promotion but the Manchester-based club continue to impress.

The men from Heywood Road secured their 15^th win of the season last Saturday against South Leicester to maintain second spot in this division. They now have a six point buffer between themselves and the rest of the chasing pack and they will be keen to keep a good distance away from their fellow promotion rivals. Sale head to Mortimer Park this weekend having won six of their eight fixtures on the road and they are also on a four match winning streak on their travels.

Stourbridge v Leicester Lions

When we talk about fixtures that could shape the rest of the season, this game has to fall under that category. Third placed Stourbridge host fourth placed Leicester Lions this weekend with both sides aiming to break into the top two. Hosts Stourbridge are currently on a brilliant run having won their last five matches which really has strengthened their promotion chances.

Neil Mitchell’s men had been very inconsistent in the first three months of the season, but it seems they have now put that right when it matters most. One thing that does stand out in this campaign for Stour is their superb home record which they carry into this fixture. The Midlands side have won all nine of their matches at Stourton Park this season and this weekend’s game against Leicester Lions would be the perfect way to rack up victory number 10

The visitors will have other ideas though. The Lions had a sensational season in 2015/16 finishing third in the table, but now Andy Key and his side may well be thinking about taking the next step. The Midlands outfit currently sit two points behind Stourbridge, but importantly, Leicester do have a game in hand against Preston Grasshoppers at the end of February.

That fixture against Preston will only become useful to them if they are to claim a result at Stourton Park tomorrow. No side has taken points off Stourbridge on their own turf this season, but like their hosts, Leicester Lions are also on a five game winning streak so confidence will be high amongst their ranks as they aim to become the first team to end Stourbridge’s 100 per cent home record.

Tynedale v Sedgley Park

Sedgley Park’s promotion hopes suffered a setback last weekend when they were beaten at home for only the second time this season. Dean Schofield’s men were outclassed by Hinckley which means Sedge now sit eight points behind second placed Sale after 18 rounds of action.

Last year was heartbreak for Sedge who were beaten in the play-off by Old Albanian and now the Manchester-based side will know they cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to have another crack at National One for the second successive season. Sedge’s five game unbeaten run was brought to an end last Saturday and now they will have to dust themselves down and go again this weekend as they look for a vital fourth away win of the campaign.

The visitors will be up against a fresh Tynedale side raring to get going once again. Tyne’s away clash with Wharefedale was postponed last weekend and the north-east side will be itching to get a positive result on the board after a disappointing start to the New Year. Scott Lawson’s men were edged out by Sale FC in their last game at Corbridge which ended a run of just one defeat in six matches.

The north-east side are back on home turf this weekend hoping to add to the four wins they have already achieved in front of their own supporters so far this term. Tyne currently occupy ninth in the table, but now have a game in hand.  A top-half finish must be their aim now for this season and a home victory over Sedgley Park would certainly put them on the right path to achieving just that.

Hinckley v Chester

It has been quite a season for Hinckley since promotion into this division last May. The side that gained a spot in the fourth-tier of English rugby via the National Three North play-off are currently having a superb campaign which certainly did not look on the cards after seven rounds of this term. One win from their first seven fixtures left the Midlands side in the bottom three, but they have turned their fortunes around in some style.

They welcome Chester to Leicester Road this weekend having won eight of their last 11 matches with the three defeats in that period coming against the current top three sides in the division. Their success this term was highlighted by a superb victory away at Park Lane against Sedgley Park last Saturday and they will want to back that up with a fifth home win of the season this weekend as they aim to stay in the top-half of the table.

Hinckley have begun 2017 with back to back victories and their opponents, Chester, have matched that. After an extremely mixed first half of the season, the Cheshire side will now be hoping for some positive consistency as they look to try and finish in the top six this campaign after a below-par performance last term.

The men from Hare Lane ended the 2015/16 season in a disappointing 11^th place, but there have been signs in this campaign that Chester are slowly coming back to their best. A five game winning streak in October highlights this theory, but just one victory in seven matches before Christmas suggests there are still some problems that need to be ironed out. The quality is there for Chester an a fourth away win of the season would further cement their place in the top six.

South Leicester v Wharfedale

Last weekend’s narrow defeat against Sale FC may well have been tough take for South Leicester. South would’ve have fancied their chances of extending their run to four wins from their last five matches, but in the end the Midlands side just couldn’t handle Sale as they fell to their eighth defeat of the campaign.

However, if it was frustrating for South then it wouldn’t have been for too long when you consider the progress the men from Welford Road have made this term. After fighting off relegation last season, South currently find themselves seventh in this division and 24 points clear of the drop with another season in the fourth-tier of English rugby all but secured. They now want to seal a place in the top-half of this division and a positive response against Wharefdale this weekend could see them move back into the top six.

Wharfedale have had 13 days to dwell on what might have been. A win against Hinckley was in their grasp before their first away victory of the campaign was snatched from them. They would have been eager to gain a positive reaction at home against Tynedale, but the Yorkshire side have had to wait a further week to return to action after their fixture with Tyne was postponed.

While they have been unable to play, Dale have slipped back into the bottom three but they are only in the drop zone on ‘Games Won’. They have achieved one less victory than Scunthorpe, but a maiden away triumph tomorrow against South Leicester could see them move out of the relegation places and continue a recent upturn in form which has seen James Doherty’s men win three of their last six matches.

Sheffield Tigers v Harrogate

Wharfedale dropped back into the relegation zone last weekend because relegation rivals Harrogate secured a vital victory over Luctonians at Rudding Lane. The Yorkshire side have won four of their last nine games and even if that record doesn’t sound too impressive, it has been the catalyst for a Harrogate revival which they so desperately needed.

Before this run of form, David Doherty’s side were rooted to the foot of the table having accumulated just one win from their first nine matches of the season. Things were looking bleak for ‘Gate but four home victories have sparked their campaign into a life and now they will want to press on and continue their positive momentum. To do that, Harrogate must secure their first away victory of the season and they will feel that this could be the perfect opportunity against a Sheffield Tigers side that is low on confidence.

A lack of belief certainly wasn’t on show for the Tigers in the first few weeks of the season. The side promotion as champions of National Three North began their time at this level with four wins from their first eight games, but since then, their campaign has turned rather sour. They prepare to host Harrogate at Dore Moor this weekend having lost their last 10 matches which has seen Sheffield slip into the relegation zone and they are now six points adrift of safety.

However, one of their best performances of this season came last weekend away at promotion chasing Leicester Lions and the Tigers were unlucky not to come away with any points. That display should have given the Yorkshire side a boost as they look to dig themselves out of trouble, starting with a victory this Saturday against Harrogate.

Preston Grasshoppers v Scunthorpe

Preston Grashoppers’ tough season continued last week as they were blown away by league leaders Caldy at Paton Fields. Garth Dew’s men fell to their 14^th defeat of the campaign and with relegation rivals Harrogate collecting a victory against Luctonians, it means the Hoppers are now nine points adrift of safety, but they do have their game in hand against Leicester Lions.

Their immediate focus will be the visit of Scunthorpe to Lightfoot Green, but the bigger picture presents itself with a great opportunity for Preston. They face nine sides currently above them in the table over the next few weeks and six of them are at home so a victory against Scunthorpe would be the perfect beginning to this sequence. England Head Coach Eddie Jones was at Hoppers earlier in the week to launch the RFU’s artificial grass pitch and Preston will be hoping they can emulate England’s unbeaten run as they look to kick-start a revival.

As for Scunthorpe, they currently sit one position above the relegation zone but are level on points with 14^th place Wharfedale after suffering their second consecutive defeat. Their loss at home to Stourbridge means the Lincolnshire side are embroiled in a relegation battle once again after looking as though they could move away from danger following back to back wins just before Christmas.

The Greens take the trip to Lancashire this Saturday having won six games so far this season following promotion last May, but the current National Three Midlands champions have picked up just one victory on the road so far. That sole away win came in the middle of October against relegation rivals Harrogate and repeat performance would certainly boost Scunthorpe’s survival chances.