Fylde RFC's new faces have hit the ground running in pre-season

The Woodlands side warmed up for the National Two North campaign with big wins over Lymm and Blackburn, scoring 20 tries over the two games.

Joint-head coach Briers told The Gazette: “The scores aren’t necessarily what these games are all about.

“The goal is really to put things together on the field that you’ve practiced and we did that. A few aspects we’ve worked on are starting to show in games.

“Now we have a weekend off and then get into a match week. The new faces are making a good impact and we’ll have a tough first selection because a lot of players are putting their hand up.”

Squad depth will again be key and Briers feels Fylde are ready for the 26-game campaign, adding: “We have made some good additions and we’d like to think we have improved the squad.

“There are a lot less changes than last year, which will hopefully make the start of the season smoother.”

Four of the 14 clubs were in other divisions last season, with Darlington Mowden Park, Macclesfield and Scunthorpe returning, while Rossendale make their National League bow.

The clubs they have replaced include two of the three who finished above Fylde last season – Leeds Tykes and Lymm.

That could bode well for Fylde’s prospects but Briers is wary, saying: “It’s always hard to predict.

“You would normally expect a team coming down from National One to be there or thereabouts but, with Darlington MP, you can’t be sure.

“They had some problems at the end of last season and lost some players.

“There are a few unknowns this year but I do think that not having big changes to our squad can help us.”

Hull Ionians finished mid-table last time, so could provide a good yardstick in the Woodlands opener.

Briers said: “They are a side you can never take for granted and we’ve had some highly competitive games against them.

“They’ve had some really good seasons and then had a blip some years, but we have to expect a battle against a decent side.”