Will Albion continue their good form without Parkes?
Plymouth Albion had won 10 of their 14 games with Parkes in charge
©Andrew Beachman
After 10 wins from 14 matches, it looked as though Plymouth Albion were getting back to their best, but now it seems like they are back to square one after the recent departure of head coach Dan Parkes.
Parkes took over the reins at Brickfields in the summer after a turbulent end to last season for Albion which saw them part ways with Director of Rugby Graham Dawe and briefly go into administration.
However, Parkes looked like he had steadied the Plymouth ship after an excellent first-half of this campaign, but after leading the side to third in the table; the former Brixham coach has now left Albion after five months in charge.
Parkes stated the job required more time and commitment than he was able to give and wished Albion well moving forward. Plymouth now host fourth placed Blackheath this weekend but will the club be able to sustain their positive season or has the boat been rocked again?
As well as previewing Plymouth Albion v Blackheath, we look ahead to the other seven fixtures taking place in National One this Saturday.
Macclesfield v Hartpury College
After last week’s sensational performance against second place Birmingham Moseley, the league leaders Hartpury College travel to Cheshire to take on bottom of the table Macclesfield tomorrow.
The Blues are rooted to the foot of this division with only two wins and draw to their name this season, but it has been tough for Macc in recent weeks after fixtures against Blackheath, Plymouth Albion and Birmingham Moseley.
By contrast, Hartpury have a huge lead at the summit of National One after an incredible 14 bonus-point wins in a row which leaves them 19 points clear of the rest of the field.
It will be tough task for Macclesfield this weekend, but they will take positives from their narrow defeat to Moseley in their last home outing while Hartpury will fancy their chances of claiming win number 15 to continue their perfect campaign.
Birmingham Moseley v Esher
This Saturday second placed Birmingham Moseley will be looking to respond from their humbling defeat last weekend against Hartpury College when they welcome Esher to the Midlands.
The visitors this weekend have had a tough campaign so far as they have won only five of their 14 games this term which leaves them 11th in the table. Esher will travel to Billesley Common in a buoyant mood after a 34-22 win over Loughborough Students six days ago, but one thing that stands out like a sore thumb for the Surrey-based side is the fact that they haven’t won a game away from home all season.
In terms of hosts Birmingham Moseley, they will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten home record this weekend while trying to get their season back on track as they are now 19 points behind Hartpury.
Kevin Maggs’ side may have had ambitions of an immediate return to the Championship, but it is a huge task for them to achieve that aim now. Moseley will know anymore slip-ups will almost certainly end their promotions hopes.
Plymouth Albion v Blackheath
As mentioned above, it has not been an easy week for Plymouth Albion after Dan Parkes left his role as head coach on Tuesday. Now, it will be interesting to see whether the men from Brickfields can continue their positive season in his absence, starting with the visit of Blackheath this weekend.
Albion currently lie third in the table, but level on points with Birmingham Moseley after 10 wins from 14 matches this season. At home, Plymouth have not put a foot wrong this campaign winning all seven of their matches at Brickfields and they’ll be hoping to make it a perfect eight tomorrow.
In terms of Blackheath, they are going through a tough patch of results at the minute, but they are only two points behind Birmingham Moseley. Just one win in their last three matches has seen them slip away from a top two spot, but Club’s form earlier in the campaign as just about kept them in touching distance.
Blackheath travel south this weekend having won four of their seven away games this term, but they have not won on the road for just under a month. However, they may fancy their chances of completing their away fixtures for this year with a victory against a Plymouth side now without a head coach.
Cambridge v Ampthill and District
Fifth placed Ampthill and District travel to Cambridge this weekend as they go in search of their fifth win in a row.
Last week, Ampthill made it four wins on the spin with a narrow victory over Plymouth Albion which moved them to within four points of Birmingham Moseley heading into Round 15. The A’s have won four of their six away matches this season and will be hoping to pick up another victory in this local derby.
This season, under new Director of Rugby Ross Stewart, Cambridge are very much holding their own following promotion from National Two South and they are also currently going through a purple patch too. The Blood and Sand have won three of their last four games which has seen them move up to 10th in the table and 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
The men from Volac Park host Ampthill this weekend having won four of their six home matches this season and they have been victorious in their last two outings in front of their own supporters. They will be aiming to make that a trio of victories to complete a very positive first-half of the season for Cambridge.
Darlington Mowden Park v Coventry
Coventry will embark on one of their longest away journeys this weekend as they head to the north-east to take on Darlington Mowden Park.
Cov currently occupy sixth place in the table, but that has mainly been down to their record at home this season. Seven wins from eight fixtures at the Butts Park Arena is a great return, but their attention must now turn to improving their fortunes on the road.
Rowland Winter’s men have won just once away from home this term – that coming against Hull Ionians in Round Nine – so they will be hoping to double their tally this weekend against a Darlington Mowden Park side struggling for form.
DMP were on a run of six consecutive defeats, but they have shown some shoots of recovery over the last two weeks. Firstly, they beat Esher 48-31 at home before narrowly losing out to Fylde last weekend which leaves Darlington 13th in the table and three points clear of the drop zone.
It is now just one win in eight for DMP, but they have performed much better at home this season winning four of their six matches so they will be looking to recapture that form ahead of the Christmas break.
Rosslyn Park v Blaydon
Rosslyn Park welcome Blaydon to London this weekend looking to bounce back from a shock defeat to Hull Ionians last weekend. Park had been on a run of three straight wins but their first defeat since Bonfire Night meant their momentum has fizzled out slightly.
Their turnaround after a torrid start to the season has been superb and Park will be hoping to get their campaign back on track this weekend. Rosslyn have won six games this term and four of them have come at home. In fact, Park haven’t lost at The Rock since October 15th.
As for Blaydon, another narrow defeat last weekend against Cambridge would have been hard to take for the north-east side. The Crows were ahead with 30 minutes of the game remaining, but saw their 14-point lead vanish as they fell to their 11th defeat of the season.
That result for Blaydon leaves them in the bottom three and they are now seven points from safety after just two wins this term. In addition to this, they take the long trip to London this weekend having lost all six of their away matches so far which is something they will be eager to put a stop to this Saturday.
Old Albanian v Hull Ionians
The Old Albanian play host to Hull Ionians this weekend with the home side going for a third win in their last four matches. James Shanahan’s side were promoted from National Two South in May and they are certainly enjoying their time back in National One after a year away from the third tier.
The OAs currently occupy eighth place in the table following six wins from their 14 matches thus far. After starting the season brightly, the men from Woolams hit a sticky spell of form, but they ended November strongly to move into the top half of the division. The OAs have won three games at home this term and they will be aiming to add to that this weekend as we hit the halfway mark of the campaign.
In terms of Hull Ionians, they will travel down to St Albans in high spirits after grinding out a much needed victory against Rosslyn Park last weekend. That win leaves the I’s three points from safety and now they will have their sights set on securing back to back victories for the first time since April.
The visitors on Saturday have won four games so far this term, with their only away triumph coming in September against Macclesfield. Another successful result on the road this weekend could see the men from Brantingham Park exit the relegation zone.
Loughborough Students v Fylde
Fylde travel to eighth placed Loughborough Students this weekend with the visitors looking to end their away day woes. The Lancashire outfit have won on five occasions this season, but not one of their victories has come on the road.
As a result, Paul Arnold’s side sit 12th in the table, but another home triumph against Darlington Mowden Park six days ago leaves Fylde eight points clear of the drop. The men from Woodlands now need to translate their home form into their away matches and put an end to a record which reads one win in their last 20 away fixtures.
Fylde’s last away win came against Coventry in October 2015 so Loughborough may feel confident of continuing their positive season this weekend. The Students currently lie ninth in the table after achieving six wins from their 14 matches thus far which leaves them 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
Loughborough were dicing with danger at times last term and they will just want to tweak their recent form as they are going through a tough spell. The Midlands side have won just two of their last five games, but they will be hoping history can repeat itself tomorrow as Loughborough thrashed Fylde 57-17 in this corresponding fixture on the final day of last season.
