The Blackpool Gazette’s Gavin Browne caught up with Joint Head Coach Chris Briers in mid-week. [This is reproduced courtesy of the Gazette].
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Chris Briers is targeting a full 80-minute performance as Fylde RFC look to make it three consecutive National Two North wins on Saturday.
Having snapped a seven-game winless run with a 45-7 victory against Wharfedale on February 28, Fylde returned from a week off with last Saturday’s 52-38 success at Darlington Mowden Park.
They outscored their hosts by eight tries to six, turning a 19-17 half-time lead into a 52-24 advantage in half an hour to claim only a second win at Darlington in 10 visits – despite 17 players being unavailable.
Fylde’s joint-head coach told the Gazette: “It’s something that we can do. If we can manage to piece it together for the whole game, who knows what it could be like?
“Wharfedale was one game where we did put long periods of good play together, when things started to click, and it was a good performance across the board.
“This year, we’ve gone through spells where we’ve had injuries, got some players back and then it’s happened again.
“We had planned for it in the off-season in terms of strength in depth and we’re fortunate that some of those coming in are homegrown players, because it means we can ride through these things.”
Last weekend’s win saw Fylde move within a point of fifth-placed Darlington with four matches remaining of the season.
The first of those is Saturday’s home game with Otley (3pm), who have lost 10 of their last 12 – though six of those defeats were in single figures.
It was Fylde who started that run of losses, with one of those narrow scorelines: their 24-20 win at Cross Green on November 22.
“It’s about making sure we turn up with the right frame of mind and focus on the job in hand,” Briers added.
“There’s no team that you can take for granted. We’ve had some really good performances against top-end teams and come out on the wrong side.
“We’ve also played lower teams and had the same outcome, so we have to turn up ready to perform.
“We go into every game looking to win and where that puts us is where it puts us, we can’t predict what goes on in other games.”