Festive spirit put to one side in National One

With Christmas approaching, many people are starting to feel generous, but when it comes to sport, that gets put on hold especially at this stage of the season.

Down at the bottom of National One, don’t expect to be seeing any side presenting their opponents with an early Christmas gift as they continue to fight their way out of trouble.

Four of the bottom five sides go head-to-head in the final round of fixtures in 2016 all desperately trying to end the year on high.

Elsewhere, Hartpury College face one last hurdle before the Christmas break as they go in search of their 16^th successive bonus-point victory while the teams below will be aiming to finish in a positive fashion.

Plymouth Albion v Hartpury College

Hartpury College may feel like all their Christmas’ have come at once this season, but they will be keen to head into the two week break with a 16^th successive bonus-point victory.

The league leaders have been faultless in National One so far and currently have a 20 point advantage at the summit of this division, but Plymouth Albion will be hoping to play the part of scrooge on Saturday and halt the Hartpury charge.

Albion currently sit third in the league and despite seeing their Head Coach Dan Parkes leave the club last week, it looks as though it hasn’t affected them too much. Plymouth beat fellow high-flyers Blackheath last weekend to secure their 11^th win of the season and they certainly do possess the quality to course their visitors’ problems.

Earlier in the season, College defeated Plymouth 37-14 in Gloucester and a repeat result of that for the table toppers would perhaps make their lead unassailable heading into 2017.

Coventry v Birmingham Moseley

A festive treat is on offer in the Midlands this weekend as second placed Birmingham Moseley travel to Coventry looking to match their local derby win which they achieved earlier in the season.

Moseley beat Cov 19-14 in September and all the signs that they could make an immediate return to the Championship were positive, but three months on, their chances are all but over. Kevin Maggs’ side sit 20 points behind league leaders Hartpury College and even Maggs admits it will be tough to reel them in, but they must continue to do their job.

Moseley lost to College two weeks ago, but responded with a victory over Esher last weekend and now face a tough test in Coventry. They have won five of their eight matches on the road this season and a victory at the Butts Park Arena would be an important boost for morale heading into the New Year.

It won’t be straight forward for Moseley though against a side that loves to play at home. Rowland Winter’s Coventry have won eight games this term which leaves them sitting sixth in the table, but seven of those victories have come in front of their own supporters. Their only defeat at the Butts Park Arena was against Hartpury so they are a force to be reckoned with this weekend.

Ampthill and District v Old Albanian

Ampthill and District prepare to welcome the Old Albanian to Dillingham Park tomorrow, but will do so without Captain Vili Ma’asi who was forced to retire in the week. A highlight of Ma’asi’s career would have been playing for Tonga in the 2003 World Cup, but he has also been an integral part of Ampthill’s journey up through the divisions.

The A’s will now continue looking to the future and once again they are having another strong season. Last week, they secured a hard fought 20-10 win over Cambridge to move them up to fourth in the table – which is where they finished last term. That victory also meant Ampthill have now won their last five games and they will feel confident of adding to that this weekend.

As for the Old Albanian, James Shanahan’s side will certainly head into to the Christmas break in an upbeat mood whatever the result is tomorrow. The OAs were promoted back into National One in May and are certainly showing that this division is where they belong as they currently occupy ninth in the table and are 14 points clear of the bottom three.

The men from Woolams travel to Bedfordshire on Saturday looking for their fourth win in five matches and their fourth away victory of the term. The OAs are currently going through their best spell of form since September and the perfect festive gift would be another triumph to round off a positive year.

Esher v Blackheath

Blackheath finish 2016 with an away fixture at Esher tomorrow looking to bounce back after defeat to Plymouth Albion last weekend. Club head to Moseley Road having won just two of their last five games and inconsistent form seems to have dampened their season.

The visitors on Saturday have been in and around the top places in the division for the majority of the campaign, but after a mixed bag of results, they now find themselves in fifth place and six points off second spot. They head into this clash with Esher without an away win for just over a month so they’ll be looking to end the year on a positive note.

Visiting teams to Moseley Road have found it tough this season so Blackheath won’t be taking this Esher side for granted. The hosts on Saturday currently lie 11^th in the table with five wins to their name and all five victories have come at home.

Their home form has been the major positive this term for the Surrey-based club but they come into Round 16 with just one win from their last five matches. Esher will be hoping their home advantage continues to go in their favour as they look for win number six in front of their own supporters.

Cambridge v Rosslyn Park

Cambridge welcome Rosslyn Park to Volac Park this weekend looking to continue their excellent term following promotion back into this division in May. Halfway through the season, the Blood and Sand sit 10^th in the table and more importantly 11 points clear of the relegation zone.

On their club website, Cambridge say that if they were to repeat their results in the opening 15 matches of the campaign in the second-half of the season, they think it will be enough to stay in this division as no team has ever been relegated with a points total of 62 while the league has had 16 teams. That may well be a target Ross Stewart’s side are aiming for, but their immediate focus is purely on trying to clinch a fifth home win of the season as well as a fourth victory from their last six games.

In terms of Rosslyn Park, they have certainly recovered from a torrid start to the season which saw them lose their first four games. Since then, Park have won seven of their last 11 games which has propelled them up to seventh in the table and in touching distance of the top six.

The London-based side responded in style to a shock defeat to Hull Ionians by thrashing Blaydon to return to winning ways last week. Now, their aim now will be to taste victory on the road once again as they go in search of their third win on their travels which would be the perfect dose of pre-Christmas cheer for Rosslyn.

Hull Ionians v Loughborough Students

Hull Ionians host Loughborough Students this Saturday hoping to maintain the positive performances they have achieved in recent weeks. The I’s beat Rosslyn Park in Round 14, but just narrowly missed out on a share of the points away at the Old Albanian last weekend and both matches highlight the shoots of recovery the Yorkshire side are currently producing.

The men from Brantingham Park remain 14^th in the table and in the relegation zone, but they are only four points adrift of safety as we begin the second-half of the season. They have picked up four victories so far this term, three of which have come on home soil so Hull Ionians will be hoping for more of the same tomorrow.

As for Loughborough Students, they were involved in a relegation battle at times last season alongside their hosts this weekend. However, Students have been able to move on from a tough campaign as they currently occupy eighth spot in the table heading into the Christmas break.

The Midlands side are 16 points clear of Hull Ionians thanks to seven wins this term and after two straight defeats, they returned to winning ways last week when they beat Fylde. Loughborough haven’t fared too badly on their travels either as they have won three of their eight games so far and if they were to add to that tally this weekend, it would certainly be a nice early Christmas present.

Fylde v Macclesfield

The North-West’s highest ranked clubs outside the Premiership meet in National One this weekend as Macclesfield travel to Lancashire to take on Fylde. The visitors on Saturday currently sit bottom of the table having won just two games thus far, but one of them did come at home to Fylde earlier in the season.

Since then it has been tough for the Cheshire side, especially over the last month or so as they have come up against all of the sides in the current top five. Macc now find themselves 10 points from safety heading into the New Year so this fixture with Fylde could provide the perfect opportunity for them to earn their first away victory of the season and also begin digging themselves out of trouble.

It will be tough for Macclesfield because Fylde’s home record has been excellent this season. For all of their problems away from Woodlands, Paul Arnold’s side have recorded five wins on home soil in this campaign which are actually their only victories of the term.

With that in mind, Fylde lie 12^th in the table and seven points clear of the drop so their home form has certainly been vital in their fight to stay out of the relegation zone. The hosts did beat Darlington Mowden Park in their last outing at Woodlands so they will be hoping for more of the same tomorrow.

Blaydon v Darlington Mowden Park

From one derby to another as Darlington Mowden Park travel to Crow Trees to take on Blaydon in a crucial game down at the wrong end of the table. The final game of 2016 sees DMP take a short journey north knowing they must carry the positives from their fightback against Coventry last week into this clash with Blaydon.

Their draw with Cov saw DMP open up a four point gap between themselves and the relegation zone, but it is a win which they crave the most. The visitors on Saturday have won just one of their last eight games with their last victory prior to this sequence of results coming at the start of October. DMP have won on five occasions this term, with just one coming on the road, but with them taking on a side in the relegation zone, they may fancy their chances of doubling that tally this weekend.

Like Mowden, Blaydon did not have the best first-half of the season which is why they currently sit 15^th in the league standings. The Crows have won just twice this term with both coming at home which is a plus point they can take into this fixture this weekend.

Blaydon have certainly shown snapshots of what they are capable of this season, but it has not been on a regular basis. They are nine points behind 13^th placed Darlington coming into this game and a third home victory of the season will do the hosts the world of good heading into 2017.