Young scrum-half gets his chance

Dorrington gets his chance because not one, but two, number nines have been ruled out.

Ryan De La Harpe and Tom Webb have both been laid low by injury.

De La Harpe hurt his ankle in Fylde’s last home match against Coventry, while Webb picked up a knock in training this week.

Fylde coach Mark Nelson said of De La Harpe’s injury: “I had a long consultation with the physio and it was decided that it would be better if Ryan didn’t start on Saturday and that we should give it another week.

“Tom Webb injured his calf in the last away match against Hull Ionians and he aggravated it in training.”

The Fylde coach said he had no qualms about pitching the relatively inexperienced Dorrington into the fray tomorrow.

“Jordan has started games before and he is a very good prospect for the future.”

There is experienced scrum-half cover on the replacements’ bench in the shape of Martin Wallwork.

Centre Scott Barrow is fit again after a knee problem and is included on the bench.

Steve McGinnis is named in the back row.

Nelson spelled out that Ben Vernon was unlucky to miss out on selection, as was Cameron Thompson, who played for a Worcester XV last week in the win over The Army, scoring the only try of the contest.

Nelson said: “It was good experience for Cameron to play in a match of that nature – I am all for players testing themselves out of their normal comfort-zone, playing in a different grade of rugby.”

Cinderford come into the match battling for their National League One lives.

They need a fillip after the circumstances of their narrow 29-28 loss at the hands of Richmond last Saturday.

The agonising defeat left them in the bottom three.

In a topsy-turvy match, where the lead changed hands four times, Cinderford succumbed to a 76th minute penalty,which settled their fate.

Cinderford enter tomorrow’s match at the Woodlands two points off safety, though they do have a couple of games in hand.

Nelson said: “Cinderford are one of a number of teams battling in the drop-zone and even Loughborough Students have been drawn into it.

“Like a lot of sides at the bottom, they have recruited and they will come here looking to pick up every point they can.

“It is certainly not going to be a typical, end-of-season match – that is for certain.”

Fylde: Viney; Spragg, S Briers, C Briers, Brennand; Johnson, Dorrington; Birchall, Burtonwood, Lewis, Arnold, Gore, Stewart, McGinnis, Beaumont.

Replacements: Griffiths, Rylance, Robinson, Wallwork, Barrow.