Wharfedale win thrills Fylde RFC coaching team

Fylde secured fourth place in National Two North with a six-try, 36-22 victory at Wharfedale; their first success on the road in six attempts.

It came despite playing more than half of the game with 14 men following a red card for prop Chris Rudkin.

Joint-head coach Briers told The Gazette: “It was a very good away win. We knew they would give us a tough game and we were very pleased to come away with the points.

“It was one that could have turned into a nothing game at the end of the season, but both teams showed they really wanted the win.”

It was Fylde’s first away win since Christmas but Briers added: “We didn’t make a major issue of it being an away game – it was just a case of getting a win.

“We haven’t always played at our best away, but you know you have to perform well to win at Wharfedale and we did that.

“There was a real determination to come away from home and face a tough team in a game that could have fizzled out, but the players were full of fire and showed that it meant a lot.”

Briers gave special mention to Alex Clayton, assuming the fly-half and goalkicking responsibilities in the absence of Will Hunt.

“Alex did really well, made a good impact and was the man of the match,” he said.

“It’s good to have players who can play in different positions. It does make selection easier when you have players unavailable.”

Briers and fellow coach Alex Loney also had to contend with the ‘bizarre’ challenge of losing both replacement props within three minutes of them entering the field.

Rudkin was sent off for striking in an incident which also saw teammate Rob King leave the field injured.

That dismissal has since been rescinded by a disciplinary panel, meaning Rudkin is now free to finish the season.

Speaking before that decision, Briers said: “Something has gone on in the maul.

“Our player is deemed to have struck an opponent and Rob feels he’s been struck.

“It meant the two props we’d just taken off for a rest (Corey Bowker and Pete Altham) had to go straight back on.

“We may have felt aggrieved at the time but we aren’t making an issue of it now. I’m not sure what the referee has seen but everything happened very quickly.

“In a way, it makes the win all the more pleasing because it’s tough enough with 15 players and they showed that they really wanted it.

“We actually ended the game with 13 after a yellow card (to Cam Smith) for a deliberate knock-on.”

The league takes an Easter break before its final round of fixtures on April 26, when Fylde host runners-up Sheffield.

The top four may be settled but the battle at the bottom is very much unresolved.

Four points separate the bottom four – including second-bottom Preston Grasshoppers – and two of the clubs battling the drop, Harrogate and Billingham, clash on the closing day.