Fylde warning to under-performing players

With Fylde under serious threat of relegation and 11 points adrift of the safety zone, he said: “Some of the players’ performances have not come up to the level that I have expected.

“They need to show that they love this club, but if they don’t perform the way they should and they can’t deliver what is expected of them, they may as well show their love for Fylde watching from the sidelines.”

Spragg said he had already made his feelings known the players with an honest appraisal of the situation and that ideally he would have made changes to the side, but for the fact that he is restricted by the size of the squad that he has had to work, leaving him with little room to manoeuvre.

He added: “We have not picked up any points from our last three games, but at Hull Ionians last Saturday at one point we were just three points behind with the wind at our backs.

“The fact that we didn’t pick up anything from that game was ridiculous.

“We should have got a minimum of one point out of that game, but we didn’t and that has happened to us too many times this season.

“We have to make sure that our game management is right.

“We are making too many mistakes in possession of the ball and we need to ensure that we get our set-piece work and put Birmingham-Moseley under pressure in areas where they may be vulnerable.”

Fylde RFC are waiting to finalise their line-up fin the hope that Sale Sharks will give the go-ahead for second rower Matt Postlethwaite to play.

Championship club Rotherham were also in the reckoning to have the multi-registered Premiership player in their ranks for the weekend, but Fylde hope they will get first pick.

Another player from the Aviva Premiership club Jake Pope is expected to play in the front row for Fylde.

Head coach Warren Spragg said of the visit of the Midlanders: “The players are fully aware that detailed preparation is only worthwhile if they put this into action for 80 minutes on a Saturday afternoon.”

Fylde (probable): Brookes; Carleton, Briers, Wilkinson, Grimes; Smith, Dolly; Pope, Gregory, Lewis, Postlethwaite, Parkinson, Vernon, Harrison, Fairbrother. Replacements: Irving, Burtonwood, Ashcroft, Corrie, Carlton,

Birmingham-Moseley (probable): Pointon; Harrison, Molenaar, Allsopp, Jarvis; R Lewis, Dixon; Fidler, Roach, Tideswell, Lawrence, Bean, Le Roux, Moore, Brightwell. Replacements: Caves, Wrafter, Cowen, Fluker, Penn.