Fylde RFC's big fight to hold top spot starts against Rotherham

The 31-12 victory at Blaydon last Saturday was Fylde’s 14th in 15 games this season and left them two points clear after unbeaten Sedgley Park’s top-of-the-table clash at Hull Ionians was frozen off.

Fylde's joint-head coach Alex Loney told The Gazette: “It may be by default but we’ve moved to the top and we want to try to stay there.

“It’s a nice feeling and we want to make sure we keep performing to give ourselves the best chance of staying top.”

The next challenge is at home tomorrow (3pm) to a Rotherham side surprisingly in mid-table after losing almost as many as they have won.

Loney warned: “They have a big pedigree as an ex-Premiership club, with some very good players and a new coach (Gary Pearce).

“We are not thinking of them as a mid-table team but as one of the best, and it’s a performance we have to get right or we won’t win. We need a big-game mentality and these are massive challenges.”

A rock-bottom Blaydon side tested Fylde’s mettle and were all square 12-12 at half-time.

Loney added: “It was a tough game and testament to what I say about National Two – you can look at league positions and form but you’ll get a tough game anywhere.

“We had good respect for Blaydon before and we have even more now because it was a tight old game. They are a skilful side, who move the ball well and they put us under pressure, particularly in the first half.”

Fylde’s cause was helped by three Blaydon sinbinnings after half-time but Loney felt his players were getting on top anyway.

“We got hold of the game in the second half and imposed ourselves,” he said. “We won it 19-0 and I thought we left a few tries out there.

“The sinbinnings probably came from pressure we were forcing. We deserved the win and did enough for the five points. After an attritional game at Hull, we really wanted to back it up with another win.”

It keeps the pressure on Sedgley Park, who may have a match in hand but must play every Saturday until April as they manage a three-game backlog.

Loney won’t read too much into that, saying: “We are two games behind ourselves and there’s an awful lot of rugby to be played. There are good teams in this league and it’s all about being consistent every week.”

The Fylde boss says the outlook is positive in terms of fitness and availability for this weekend, though Loney has no problem making changes when players are forced to stand down.

“We’re looking in good order for Saturday but we believe in the whole squad and we’ve used over 30 players this season,” he explained.

“We’re confident that whoever takes the field will be capable of giving us a Fylde performance.”