Sale FC, Stour and Sedge aim to keep pushing forward
Caldy look like they are clicking into gear thanks to back to back victories
©Derek Salisbury
Leicester Lions suffered their first defeat of the new season last weekend which meant now only three sides remain without a loss to their name in National Two North heading into Round Four.
For some, it might have been a formality to see Sedgley Park and Stourbridge begin with three victories but I doubt many people expected Sale FC to be leading the way with 80 minutes left of the first month of the season.
The top three have started well and will be aiming to enter October still unbeaten while for some, a string of wins is something they desperately desire.
Bottom of the table and winless Harrogate go to the Luctonians in search of their first triumph of the season while the likes of Preston Grasshoopers, Sheffield Tigers, Otley and Tynedale look to return to winning ways.
Elsewhere, Chester, Wharfedale, Caldy and South Leicester will keen to maintain their momentum from last weekend.
South Leicester v Sale FC
South Leicester’s wait for a first league win came to an end last weekend in Round Three of the National Two North season. The Green and Whites suffered narrow defeats against Stourbridge and Leicester Lions, but picked up a bonus-point victory away at Harrogate six days ago to get off the mark for the campaign.
Having lost by six points and just a point in the first two weeks of the term, the signs were there that a victory might be around the corner and they duly delivered at Rudding Lane. They are now back at home this weekend against the current league leaders who they beat 44-30 in this corresponding fixture 12 months ago.
Sale FC put up a valiant fight to stay in National Two North last season and they did just enough to remain at this level for another term. The Blue and Whites stayed in this division on the final day, but fast-forward four months, it is all change at Heywood Road after a blistering start to this campaign.
The Manchester side are top of the table at this embryonic stage of the season and have flown out of the blocks. 112 points in their first three games has brought Sale three straight wins and they will be looking to continue this form when they travel to the Midlands tomorrow. Their opening away win against Hinckley was sensational and they will be hoping to replicate that this weekend.
Stourbridge v Scunthorpe
Stourbridge endured a strong campaign last season. After a tough term back in 2014/15 due to injuries which ended with the Midlands side finishing 10th in the table, they looked back to their best last term as they finished on the cusp of the promotion places and there were snapshots of what Stour are truly capable.
And those snapshots have appeared on a much more regular basis so far this season. Three wins from three leaves Neil Mitchell’s side right in the mix with the early frontrunners with victories coming against South Leicester, Luctonians and Sheffield Tigers. It is another home fixture for Stour tomorrow as they look for their 14th win from their last 18 matches at Stourton Park.
Newly-promoted Scunthorpe began life in National Two North with an excellent victory over Chester, but since then it has been two very tough weeks for Tim Robinson’s men. Heavy defeats against Sheffield Tigers and Caldy saw Scunthorpe ship 106 points and now they will be looking to respond in the Midlands this weekend.
They won 11 of their 13 away games on their way to the National Three Midlands title last season and they will be hoping to rediscover that form in the fourth tier. This will be a tough trip to Stourton Park for the Yorkshire side and if they were to get a result on Saturday, it would certainly be the highlight of their season so far.
Hinckley v Sedgley Tigers
Hinckley would have been delighted to finally gain promotion to National Two North this season. The Leicestershire outfit beat Wirral in the play-off to secure their place in this division and they did get off to a flyer with a confident performance and victory away at Harrogate on the opening day of the campaign.
However, things have been on a slight decline since then for Paul Walsh’s side. They were humbled in their last home fixture against current table toppers Sale FC before being involved in a thrilling contest with Wharfedale last Saturday, but ultimately they were on the wrong end of the result. Their next test doesn’t get much easier for them as they welcome unbeaten Sedgley Park to Leicester Road tomorrow.
Sedgley Park will travel to the Midlands oozing confidence. After grinding out a win against Caldy three weeks ago, Sedge are starting to go through the gears as shown with their impressive victories against Preston Grasshoppers and Otley. They are one of the favourites for promotion again this term and have started in that fashion.
Sedge come into this fixture with Hinckley having lost just one of their last seven league games (including four from last season) and Dean Scofield and Geoff Roberts’ men will be itching to end the month with their 100 per cent record intact.
Preston Grasshoppers v Caldy
Preston Grasshoppers began the season with a fine victory over Wharfedale, who were relegated from National One in May. Garth Dew’s side have continued to progress over the last two seasons and that victory signalled that they could well push on from their 10th place finish last term.
But, the Hoppers’ inconsistency has come back to bite them again as they enter this contest with Caldy on the back of two successive defeats. Preston were beaten by Sedgley Park at Lightfoot Green before being outplayed in the first-half at Chester last weekend which led to their defeat. Dew and his side will be looking for a reaction this weekend when Caldy make the 50 mile trip to Lancashire.
Speaking of reactions, that is what Caldy have done over the last two weeks. After an agonising defeat to Sedgley Park on the opening day of the season, the Wirral based side have won back to back games scoring 13 tries in the process. Those victories came against Chester and Scunthorpe away from home and yet again, Caldy are on the road this weekend.
This will be the fourth consecutive away match for Simon Verbickas’ men, but the travelling doesn’t seem to fazing his side. Caldy have won 10 of their last 18 matches away from the Paton Fields and having moved up to fourth place in the table, Caldy will be looking head into October still on the coattails of the early pacesetters.
Sheffield Tigers v Leicester Lions
Sheffield Tigers may well be looking at their home form as the key for keeping them in National Two North this season. On their way to promotion last term, the Tigers lost just once at Dore Moor and in this campaign, their only victory has come in front of their own supporters.
That win came against fellow newly-promoted side Scunthorpe two weeks ago which was sandwiched in between defeats to the Luctonians and Stourbridge. The Tigers did lose to the Luctoniains on their own turf, but 14 wins from their last 16 games is a record they will be keen to keep up and it could provide the foundations for a positive season for Thui Barnard’s men.
Leicester Lions know all about strong performances at home as it was a major factor in their successful season last year. The Lions finished third following 19 victories, 13 of which came at Westleigh Park where they suffered just one defeat all term.
They began this campaign with a home win over Tynedale, but fell to a rare loss last time out against the Luctonians so the Lions will be looking to roar back this weekend in Yorkshire. They beat near neighbours South Leicester on their last away trip and will hope to make it consecutive victories on the road on Saturday.
Luctonians v Harrogate
The Luctonians are a side which seem to be improving as each week passes by. This time last year, the Herefordshire outfit were having a wretched start to the season, but the transformation since then has been superb. The Lucts went on to finish sixth in the last campaign and have begun this term with two wins from their first three games.
A win against Sheffield Tigers on the opening day was backed up by a brilliant victory at Westleigh Park over Leicester Lions last Saturday so Alex Davidson’s men will now be searching for their first win of the season at Mortimer Park when Harrogate visit this weekend.
In contrast to the Luctonians, Harrogate are a club that have struggled since the end of the 2014/15 season. A fourth place finish was follow up by an inconsistent campaign last year which saw the Yorkshire outfit end the term in seventh, but this year they have failed to build on that.
‘Gate have lost all three of their matches so far this season – the only side in National Two North to do so. Just three tries in that time highlights where the problems may lie for Graham Siswick’s side. They did begin slowly 12 months ago, but they managed to recover and the Rudding Lane faithful will be hoping they can do the same and end this losing streak as quickly as possible.
Otley v Chester
If inconsistency plagued Otley’s season last year, it hasn’t disappeared at the beginning of this campaign. An excellent win away at Wharfedale came in between difficult defeats against Sale FC and Sedgley Park as Otley once again are finding it tough to string a sequence of positive results together.
The Black and Whites have actually won just one of their last 11 league games and that really needs to change sooner rather than later if they are to maintain their ambitions of challenging for promotion. The last time Otley managed back to back wins was in February of this year and they will be hoping that this fixture against Chester can be the catalyst for them to push on this term.
Chester were given a huge boost in confidence thanks to their victory over Preston Grasshoppers last weekend. Last season was tough for the men from Hare Lane who claimed just 12 wins throughout the campaign and finished in a disappointing 11th place.
They didn’t begin this season in the best of form either with defeats to newly-promoted Scunthorpe as well as Caldy, but their 31-5 win over Preston six days ago would have done them the world of good. Now they must take those positives to Yorkshire this weekend to try and pick up back to backs wins for the first time since January 2016.
Tynedale v Wharfedale
Tynedale will have been overjoyed to return to Corbridge two weeks ago following the damage caused to the club’s home facilities by the floods in December of last year. Added to that, their first game back there saw Scott Lawson’s men produce a victory over Harrogate and now they will be keen to follow that up on their return to home soil this weekend.
Away from home hasn’t been as much of a positive for Tyne. Defeats to Leicester Lions and Sale FC mean it has been a mixed start for the North-East side who will be hoping to put last year’s tough season behind as they look to build their way back up to National One.
There might have been a few sighs of relief in Skipton last Saturday as Wharfedale picked up their first win of the campaign following relegation from National One. It hasn’t been the easiest 12 months for Dale who dropped out of the third tier for the first time in 10 years.
Successive defeats against Preston Grasshoppers and Otley meant that Dale started life in National Two on the back foot, but a victory against Hinckley last Saturday was just the boost James Doherty and his side needed as they head to the North-East tomorrow.
