Fylde Appoint Captain and Vice

Fylde RFC is delighted to announce the partnership of Evan Stewart, who is appointed 1st team skipper for a 3rd season, & Chris Johnson who will be vice-captain. Both have considerable senior National League experience, various representative honours, are strong characters and are admired & respected by their team mates.

Former England Students flanker Stewart skippered both Loughborough Students and Macclesfield before taking over from Sam Beaumont at Fylde in 2012/13.

Points machine Johnson will be in his 3rd season at the Woodlands after a record breaking period at Huddersfield and he has recent leadership experience skippering England Counties & County Champions Lancashire last season.

Fylde Head Coach Mark Nelson said: "Few, if any, National One clubs are sufficiently fortunate to have two such experienced players taking charge on and off the pitch.

“Evan & Chris are exceptional players and outstanding leaders. They are both calm under pressure, read the game well and inspire others by example. Both are 27 years old and at the peak of their rugby careers."

Evan Stewart said: "I am honoured to skipper this very talented squad for another season. Since being promoted to N1, we've finished successively in 4th, 6th & 3rd place in a very competitive division which has included some big clubs with full time squads.

“We've retained the great majority of last season's squad and strengthened it in crucial areas. We hope once again to be competitive and challenge all opposition whilst playing an attractive style of rugby in the 2014/15 season."

A rather more immediate matter will be preoccupying the Lancaster Royal Grammar School Director of Rugby as he'll be marrying the Club's head physio Megan Furey on Thursday, 24th July.

Chris Johnson said: "It was a great privilege to captain England Counties against Belgium, France & Ireland Clubs and then to raise the Bill Beaumont County Championship Cup at Twickenham at the end of May when skippering Lancashire.

“I learnt a lot from these experiences and look forward to helping Evan & the rest of the Fylde squad in 2014/5."

 

Elsewhere at the club front row specialist Alex Loney has been appointed as scrummaging coach ahead of the 2014/5 season.

Alex (30) joined Fylde from Rotherham in the summer of 2011, played a full season in 2011/12 and a few games the following campaign before suffering a knee injury which has proved stubborn to correct since then.

He was selected for England Counties in 2012 alongside team mate Scott Barrow but, sadly, was unable to join the squad. Whilst he still has ambitions to return as a player, he needs further treatment and is keen to contribute to the Club's coaching efforts in the meanwhile.

Loney proudly led Lancashire to the 2011 County Championship title at Twickenham. He grew up in Manchester and played junior rugby for Aldwinians & Sedgley Park before moving to Kirkham Grammar School.

He gained representative honours with England U'18s & U'19s before moving to Leicester Tigers Academy in 2003. He joined Nottingham in 2004 and went on to make 123 1st team appearances in five seasons.

He made a major contribution to the success of the Club and was named supporters player of the season. A season with French club Avignon in 2009/10 was followed by a move to Rotherham Titans in 2010/11 where he made 28 1st team appearances and helped them to the Championship play-offs.

Most of his senior rugby career has been at hooker but he is also comfortable at tight-head prop where he has featured for Fylde.

Fylde Head Coach Mark Nelson said: "I'm delighted that Alex has agreed to join the coaching staff given his expertise in scrummaging. He's keen to re-establish his playing career but at the moment this isn't possible.

“He has long experience in front row play at Championship level (more than 150 appearances) and will help us develop further. We have some fine 1st team props and hookers - Adam Lewis, Dan Birchall, Simon Griffiths, Mark Rylance, Tom Burtonwood, Danny Maher, Jonny Wild - and I believe that they will benefit considerably from Alex's input."