Fylde RFC aim to return in ruthless fashion

Those are the New Year wishes of joint-head coach Chris Briers as the National Two North season resumes at Harrogate on Saturday after the longest mid-season break he can remember.

The Woodlands club have not played for five weeks after 2022's final fixtures against Otley and Preston Grasshoppers were frozen off.

Briers told The Gazette: “It is a strange one. I don't remember having such a long break but hopefully everyone is refreshed and reinvigorated.

“We trained last Thursday to have a bit of a blow-out and run off the turkey dinners, and we're back to training as normal this week.”

After such an extended break, a visit to second-bottom Harrogate is perhaps not the trickiest of tests. The second-bottom Yorkshire side have only twice this season and went down 74-5 at Fylde in September.

But Briers warns that their pitch could be at its most challenging: “Harrogate have done better since we played them in September and their pitch is always a test, especially at this time of year.

“We have to make sure we are prepared and not leggy after such a long break because the pitch is draining just to walk across as a coach.”

The gap in fixtures has enabled Fylde's bumps and bruises to heal, though scrum-half Matt Sturgess faces an extended period on the sidelines with a knee injury.

There are two talented young candidates to fill the breach in Ben Gould, the former Otley player who took the role in Fylde's last game against Sheffield Tigers on December 3, and Cole Potts, recently returned from Doncaster. The former Kirkham Grammar student would have played in the Christmas derby with Hoppers.

The trip to Otley and the Woodlands derby have been rearranged for February 4 and 11, meaning a run of 10 successive Saturday fixtures to start the year.

“A long run of games isn't new but it's more unusual after Christmas than before,” said Briers. “We don't expect to have filled two of the catch-up weekends by the start of the year.”

Before reaching the halfway point in their season at Harrogate, Fylde start the year two points behind leaders Sedgley, the only team to have beaten them so far.

As for the quest to catch their Manchester rivals, Briers said: “It's very much about going out to play, wanting to perform and win on a week to week basis.

“We want to stay in that battle in the top two and believe we can take the top spot if we play at our best.

“But it's easier said than done and you need to maintain a ruthless attitude because if we take our foot off the gas we could lose to anyone.

“Sedgley Park have had some funny results and hopefully they will trip up. Some of their wins have not been convincing and some of their results have been tighter than you'd expect, but they keep on coming up with the goods.”

Fylde RFC is mourning the death of the club's former tighthead prop John Croasdell.

A Fylde front-rower of the 1970s and early 80s, John also represented Lancashire and England Under-23s, and taught at Arnold School.

Fylde teammate Sir Bill Beaumont, now chairman of World Rugby, paid this tribute: “John was a very good tighthead with great skills and I packed behind him on many occasions. He was a talented all round sportsman but also a really good pianist. He was a great guy and a lovely person. RIP.”