National Two North: Macclesfield hoping to build on momentum
After a week off, National Two North resumes this weekend with Macclesfield looking to maintain their excellent winning form when they take on Sandal in our feature game of the weekend.
Sedgley Park and Caldy will be looking to get back on track after defeats last time out while the likes of Stourbridge and Sale FC will be looking to continue their winning ways.
Macclesfield v Sandal
Our feature game of the weekend sees league leaders Macclesfield take on fourth placed Sandal at Priory Park. After losing on the opening day of the season, the Blues have won their last seven matches and now sit top of the division as they go in search of an immediate response back up to National One.
Coach Giles Heagerty said in the week their he is "not suprised" by Sandal's start to this season. After promotion to National Two North via the National Three North play-off, the Yorkshire side have begun this campaign in fine form with just two defeats from their eight games.
Sedgley Park v Huddersfield
After ending October with two defeats from their last three games, Sedgley Park will be hoping to bounce back as they aim to return to the top of the league this weekend.
The Tigers welcome Huddersfield to Park Lane where Sedge have a 100 per cent record this season with four wins from four. Their two defeats have come on the road against Sandal and Leicester Lions, but they face Huddersfield who are winless on their travels this campaign.
Last season, ‘Field’s brilliant start to 2015 kept them in this division, with their home form playing a major part in that. They have won their last two at home, but the side from Yorkshire are languishing in 14th place and that is down to performances away from Lockwood Park. This will be a tough challenge for ‘Field against Sedgley who are itching to get back to winning ways.
Caldy v Luctonians
The final weekend in October was a strange one for the teams at the top. Caldy joined Sedgley in suffering just their second defeat of the season leaving the Wirral side feeling that they may have lost an opportunity to close the gap on the sides above them.
Their defeat came away at Otley, but their next fixture against the Luctonians is just Caldy’s third home match of the season. The men from Paton Field have dispatched Broadstreet and Tynedale so far on home soil and will be targeting another win against one of the struggling sides in this division.
The Luctonians currently sit bottom of National Two North with just one win in their first eight matches of the season. Wins away from Mortimar Park have been hard to come by with that single victory coming at home against Huddersfield and the side from Herefordshire could be in danger of falling away from the pack if their performances don’t improve on the road.
There were signs of that against Sale FC on their last away day and they will be hoping that was an indication of better things to come.
Chester v Leicester Lions
Chester have struggled of late. Just one win in their last four games has started to create a gap between themselves and the rest of the front runners. What maybe concerning for Chester is the fact that they have lost their last three matches at Hare Lane and their next assignment is Leicester Lions.
This will be no easy test for Chester. The Lions edged out Sedgley Park in their last game which was a much needed win for the men from Westleigh Park, whose form took a slight dip after winning four of their first five matches. On the road, Leicester Lions haven’t fared all that well with just one victory from their three games, but they will feel confident going into this game due to Chester’s recent results at home.
South Leicester v Stourbridge
The other side in this division from Leicester are the newly promoted South Leicester who will be satisfied with their first eight matches in this division. Currently 12th, they have three wins to their name and with four try bonus points already this season; it shows they fear no-one in this league. South are also unbeaten in their last two matches after a draw with Preston Grasshoppers and a win at home last time out against Broadstreet.
They welcome an in-form Stourbridge side to Welford Road on Saturday who may not have wanted the first break of the season to come along. Stour have suffered just one defeat in their last five matches and haven’t lost in their last three away fixtures.
Wins against Huddersfield and Harrogate and a draw against Leicester Lions really have helped move the side from Stourton Park in the right direction. Are they now looking like contenders for a promotion challenge?
Preston Grasshoppers v Otley
For Preston Grasshoppers, it has been another tough campaign so far. They have picked up just two wins this season and lie in 12th place in the division, just a point clear of the relegation zone. Obviously at this stage of the season, that doesn’t really indicate anything, but Garth Dew and his side will be hoping to turn their fortunes around as soon as possible.
The Hoppers have fought well in their last two fixtures against Tynedale and South Leicester, but they have had just one victory at Lightfoot Green so far which came against Sale FC in the second weekend of the season. That will be something they will want to put right quickly.
As for the visitors, an excellent win against Caldy two weeks ago sees Otley lie 7th in the table. Otley have now won two of their last three matches, but have won just twice on their travels so far this campaign. They are starting to show what they are capable of and must avoid inconstancy in results if they are going to move further up the table.
Sale FC v Harrogate
Sale FC are certainly one of the form sides in the league at the minute. Four wins in their last six – which included their first away triumph of the season against high flying Sandal - has propelled them on to the cusp of the top half of the table.
Their home form is something that stands out though. Three straight wins at Heywood Road is not only impressive, but vital, if Sale are to stay in this division and progress towards their long term aims.
This will be a difficult task for a Harrogate side that are 8th in the table. They have started to improve in recent weeks with two wins from their last three matches, but I think even ‘Gate will admit they are performing under par at the minute. This will be Harrogate’s fourth away game of the season and they have won just one of those – against the Luctonians back in September. Sale will leapfrog the side from Yorkshire if they are to make it four straight wins at home on Saturday.
Broadstreet v Tynedale
For both of these teams, it may well be a first third of the season they will want to forget. After finishing in the top half last year on the back of being crowned Midlands champions, Broadstreet have begun this campaign with just one win from their first eight games.
It was a similar story for ‘Street last year, but their second half of the season kept them in this league for another campaign. They will be hoping for history to repeat itself again.
That one victory for Broadstreet came at home against Preston Grasshoppers and a win against Tynedale this weekend, may be the catalyst they so desperately need.
In terms of Tynedale, I am not sure many would have expected the way they have started this season after their first ever relegation in the club’s history. Tipped as one of the favourites to challenge for promotion back to National One, Tyne are currently 13th in the table with just two wins to their name this season.
Their second win came two weeks ago against Preston which will boost their confidence, but Tyne are yet to taste victory in any of their three away matches this season despite coming close on occasions. It may be too early in the season, but a defeat for either side on Saturday could well be damaging.
