Fylde RFC players prepare to tackle the Tykes

Fylde aim to repeat April’s 18-15 toppling of the Tykes but must do so on the back of a 23-21 National Two North setback on Humberside.

Both sides scored three tries as two Hull penalty goals proved decisive, though Fylde boss Alex Loney felt his side should have returned with at least four points instead of one.

The joint-head coach told The Gazette: “It was a tight game and both sides had good moments which led to tries.

“We gave away a soft early penalty and they took another later on.

“We missed good chances, we knocked on over the line and were held up.

“We had plenty of opportunities but were not good enough on the day.

“We got into a couple of attacking positions late on and we knocked on in a ruck, but we shouldn’t have been looking to just sneak a win at the end; we’d had enough opportunities.”

Hull had won only two previous matches this season, though had finished within a few points of Lymm and Sheffield in their last two home clashes.

Loney added: “If you are off in this league, you will come up short and plenty of teams can beat you.

“Fair play to Hull, they have good ball carriers and executed enough details to get the scores they needed.

“Their winning try came off a bit of fortuitous play but they took it well.”

Tomorrow’s opponents bounced back from their only defeat of the season against leaders Lymm with a 75-point thumping of Chester last Saturday.

The Yorkshiremen won’t need any extra motivation at the Woodlands, where defeat on their last visit dashed promotion hopes.

Loney, whose fourth-placed side are now nine points behind Sheffield in third, said: “We’d have liked to have kept the winning run going and we’ll have to play better against Leeds.

“The beauty of this competition is that you never have to wait too long for another chance.

“We look forward to the challenge of playing the team who were everyone’s favourites at the start of the season.

“The last home game against Leeds was a massive one for them but we won’t look back too much at last season.

“It has no relevance now because it’s a different year and a different group – and we know we’ll have to be right tactically and technically.”