Fylde RFC quest to push Sedgley Park to the end in title race

So says team boss Chris Briers ahead of this most eagerly-awaited Woodlands fixture against the unbeaten league leaders (3pm) as Fylde look to avenge their 30-20 defeat in Manchester four months ago.

Second-placed Fylde go into the match on the back of their third defeat of the season, 23-12 at Tynedale last weekend.

That enabled Sedgley to pull six points clear with a game in hand by recording their 19th straight victory, 35-31 against Wharfedale.

Should Fylde become the first team to blemish that record, they would still require Sedgley to lose at least one of their other six games – and drop bonus points – in order to overhaul them.

That may be asking a lot given Sedgley have taken a maximum 50 points from 10 games since beating Fylde.

A home win tomorrow would at least scupper any ideas that the title race is over already and that’s key for joint-head coach Briers.

He told The Gazette: “It’s a game we need to win. If we do, we’ll still need other people to do us a favour but we want to push Sedgley all the way.

“We don’t want to give them the title by being slack. We want to make them earn it by keeping on going until the very end of the season.

“We’re sort of in the position other teams have been in when they have played us, knowing they are playing a top team and raising their game.”

Fylde know they will need to raise their game after Tynedale became the first side all season to restrict them to two tries.

Briers said: “We were slightly off in a lot of areas. We did some good things and created some good chances, which we didn’t finish.

“Had we done so, we would probably have won comfortably but Tynedale defended well, had strong ball-carriers and were up to the task. They deserved to win.”

Fylde were depleted by injuries and unavailability but Briers isn’t looking for excuses, adding: “The injuries do all seem to have come at once but it shows our strength in depth that we were still able to put a team out that was good enough to win. What was missing was sharpness and being clinical with our chances.”

The Fylde boss admitted it’s unlikely centre Sam Stott will appear again this season after fracturing an eye socket but there is hope second row Olli Parkinson will be back this weekend after a shoulder injury.

Fylde have been boosted by the availability of back-rower Dave Fairbrother, who avoided a ban after his red card for a high tackle at Wharfedale a fortnight ago was downgraded to yellow.

Briers said: “When we thought we would be without Fairy at Tynedale, we looked at our lineout options and saw we would be very short of jumpers, with no regular second rows either.

“Some decisions we would not contest but it was important we got that one overturned.

“Referees always do their best and there is no blame there, but when I first saw the red card I thought it must have been for a second yellow.”

Fylde’s dual-registered flanker, Tristan Woodman from Sale Sharks, was named man of the match as England recorded their third straight Under-20 Six Nations victory with a 37-21 away victory over Wales.