Walsh: Darlington Mowden Park are not feeling any pressure

With 12 straight wins under their belts, Matt Walsh feels the pressure is actually off Darlington Mowden Park this weekend as they go in search of achieving victory number 13 as the current form side in National One aim to keep up their remarkable run.

The task that awaits them on Saturday is a trip to league leaders Richmond as DMP look to keep things going in the right direction.

And Walsh, who joined Mowden Park at the start of this season, is calling for his side to remain focused for their visit to South West London after Richmond beat Darlington 22-21 back in November.

"Richmond are top for a reason," the 23-year-old scrum-half said of Saturday's opponents.

"We definitely want to get revenge for our narrow defeat to them earlier in the season and even though we are on this great run, the pressure will be on them this weekend.

"For us, it has been good to put this run of results together and it’s great to have performed so well and we've built on last season.

"Of course, we really want to use our run to our advantage and we are confident we can beat anyone at the moment, but we also mustn't take it for granted that we'll win."

Mowden Park have unsurprisingly shot up the table after this run of form which stretches back to November. Their last defeat actually game against Richmond and now DMP sit seventh in the table, but only four points off fourth place.

And Walsh wants DMP to ensure they keep progressing up the table by putting together more victories as they look to achieve their aim for this season.

"It’s good to be in the situation we are in at the moment," the former Chester player said. "Our aim was to finish in the top four this season after a solid first season in National One and we are on course to do that.

"I think that ambition shows how far the club has coming over the last 12 months and it has been great to be part of this squad who are a great bunch of lads and are coached brilliantly."

Agreeing that Darlington are progressing as a club, Walsh is keen to stress that it really is all about one game at a time from now until the end of the season as they look to end the campaign strongly.

"Morale is high in the squad right now," said Walsh. We took a while to get going this year with some new faces, including myself, coming into the club but now it has all clicked, we are going from strength to strength.

"We know we have a lot of work still to do, but we are just taking it one game at a time. We have been free scoring and have played some quality rugby lately and we are looking to continue that on Saturday."

Elsewhere in National One, its second v third as Blackheath travel to Hartpury College this weekend which will add another twist to the promotion race while Cinderford, Henley Hawks and Bladyon all face away fixtures as the fight for survival gathers pace.

Hartpury College v Blackheath

After Hartpury's loss to Darlington Mowden Park last weekend, they head into this crucial game in the promotion race a place below and level on points with rivals Blackheath. Both sides are 10 points behind leaders Richmond although Club do have a game in hand. A defeat for either team will more or less any title hopes they may have.

Plymouth Albion v Henley Hawks

After seeing off bottom club Cinderford last week to make it 10 wins from their last 11 matches, Plymouth Albion's next task sees them take on another side in the bottom three, Henley Hawks this weekend. Albion are clear favourites for this after due to the remarkable run which they are on, while Henley currently sit nine points from safety. A defeat for the Hawks could well leave them with too much to do.

Coventry v Esher

Coventry return back to the Butts Park Arena this weekend after their defeat to Rosslyn Park and they welcome Esher to the Midlands who snatched a late win at home against Fylde last weekend. The Blues lost heavily to Esher in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign so will be itching to put the record straight on Saturday.

Loughborough Students v Ampthill and District

Three defeats in a row has seen Loughborough Students become embroiled in a relegation fight and now they currently sit just two points clear of the drop zone so the visit of a strong Ampthill and District is not ideal.

The A's sit sixth in the table and have looked controlled all season long after their play-off win over Bishops Stortford at the end of last term which gave them promotion. A defeat for Students could see them drop into the bottom three while a win for Ampthill would be their fourth in their last six matches.

Wharfedale v Rosslyn Park

Wharfedale came away from Ampthill and District in another positive frame of mind after securing two bonus points at Dillingham Park. This came after a sensational win against Blackheath at home and they return to Skipton looking for another positive display as they continue to stay afloat in National One.

'Dale are two points ahead of the drop zone and face a Rosslyn Park side who performed well against Coventry last week in their first game since they parted company with coach James Buckland. Both teams are confident going into this clash so it could be a close encounter in Yorkshire.

Fylde v Blaydon

Blaydon took a huge step towards safety last weekend as they eased past Hull Ionians in the north-east so they will be in high spirits when they head down to Lancashire this weekend when they take on Fylde. The hosts on Saturday were inches away from beating Esher last weekend so will be determined to make it back to back victories at Woodlands on the weekend.

Hull Ionians v Cinderford

The final game in National One this weekend sees two sides in wretched form. Cinderford put in a good second half display against Plymouth Albion last weekend, but it still leaves them 14 points from safety at the foot of the division. As for Hull Ionians, defeat to Blaydon means they have only won one of their last 12 games and they are now five points above the danger zone. Another nervy, but equally, tense contest in Yorkshire.