Fylde make the very short journey to Lightfoot Green to resume local rivalries with Preston Grasshoppers (ko 14.30). This will be, as usual, a very competitive, well staged game in front of a good crowd, surely a very positive advertisement for National League rugby. It’s especially good to see ‘Hoppers back in National Two (North) this season.
The most recent N2(N) matches between the clubs have been in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons and they resulted in a win for ‘Hoppers, two for Fylde and a draw.
‘Hoppers have had rather a ‘snakes and ladders’ record in the last five or six seasons. Their ‘normal home’ in the last 20 years has been National Two (North) but disappointing seasons in 2016-17 and 2019-20 led to two campaigns at level 5, North Premier. Former Fylde lock forward and then Head Coach Paul Arnold moved to ‘Hoppers for 2017-18 and led them to an excellent season when they were crowned as champions.
Back in N2(N) they finished a very respectable 7th in the division in 2018-19 but they struggled in 2019-20 and slipped back once more to North Premier. After the blank ‘Covid season’ they picked up the pace and finished in 2nd place and were promoted once again. They will be determined to at least stabilise at level four this time around.
The coaching arrangements have changed substantially ahead of this season. Paul Arnold stood down in the spring and he has been replaced by new Head Coach Joel Unsworth, previously in charge at Vale of Lune and before that part of the coaching group at Sandbach RUFC. Since 2018 he’s been a teacher at Kirkham Grammar School.
Joel’s right hand man is former Fylde Coach Dan Orwin who is Assistant Coach. Dan was Head Coach at Fleetwood RUFC last season. He’s a lecturer at UCLan and formerly at Myerscough College.
Good luck to both of them as they come to terms with competing in National Two (North)!
Hoppers have had a very positive recruitment campaign during this summer bringing in a number of new faces. These include:
* Powerful no 8 Scott Richardson (ex-Blackburn and Fleetwood)
* Utility back, former Warrington Wolves Academy player, Kevin Brown
* Back rower Josh Longson (Sandbach, Leeds Beckett University & Cheshire Senior squad)
* Ed Keohane (Maidenhead RFC) a fly half, centre or full back who is also a goalkicker
* Polish international lock Max Lobada, a 6’8″ former Rossall School student and Ealing Trailfinders Academy member who played a couple of games for Fylde Hawks last season
* Fellow 6’5″ lock and former KGS student Josh Jones & Leigh RFC young talent
* Welsh backrower Joe Coope-Franklin, a graduate of the famous Newbridge RFC club and part of the Academies at the Dragons and Scarlets. A cross-code player he’s also represented Salford Reds RL
* a former Fylde Mini-Junior, Colt and Hawks young back, Fraser Stanier, son of former Fylde 1st team favourite Richard.
Richardson, Brown, Longson and Keohane all started in Hoppers’ line-up at Wharfedale where they lost a high scoring game by 57-18.