[Reproduced courtesy of the Blackpool Gazette]
Fylde RFC still have two games to play this season but they are already well on the way to cementing a squad for their 2025/26 National Two North challenge.
Fifth last season, Fylde are on course for a top-four finish this time around and the plans for further improvements are well underway.
Joint-head coach Alex Loney told The Gazette: “We’ve retained a lot of the squad for next year.
“All the people you would expect to be in the group next season will be.
“It’s not like last year when we had a lot out of contract. We have players on multi-year deals now and we are trying to add players to make us better.
“If we get everyone we want, we’ll be really happy and will have an uplift for next season.”
Loney’s first priority is to finish this season strongly and Fylde recorded a fourth successive home win with last Saturday’s 22-12 victory over a Billingham side now second-bottom in the relegation scrap.
Loney said: “We were really happy with much of the game, particularly the first half.
“We scored some fine tries, moved the ball well and could have scored two or three more.
“Billingham have a lot to play for and we’re happy with a five-point win. It wasn’t vintage but we defended well.
“They have been scoring lots of points, so to restrict them to one try and a penalty try was a good effort. We’ll be striving for more of the same on Saturday.”
Victory at Wharfedale (2pm) would secure fourth place and end Fylde’s wait for a first away win of 2025.
Loney didn’t want to overplay the latter, adding: “I think the focus is more on beating a team around us in the table than on winning away.
“You have to win your home games and our home record is good (10 wins out of 12).
“We have proved this season we can win away but we know Wharfedale will be really tough as they were here (Fylde won 31-30 in December).
“Games against them always have an edge and, if we tick all our boxes, it’s a game we can win.”
While five teams are embroiled in a N2N relegation battle set to go to the wire, Fylde already know that Darlington Mowden Park will drop into their league next season, while another Lancashire club – promoted Rossendale – will make its competition debut.
Loney said: “Rossendale have been going hard at the league for a number of years.
“It’s widely known that if they go for a player, it’s hard for other clubs to compete with their finances. Fair play to them but it’s a big step up to National Two North.”
Replacing Darlington MP in National One will be Leeds Tykes, who sealed the N2N title last weekend.
“Leeds fully deserve to win it, having got really close last year,” said Loney.
“They make no bones about wanting to get back to former glories and this is the first step.
“They haven’t been getting away from teams like they did last season, so it shows the league is getting tighter.”
Once this season’s league commitments are complete, Loney will again reach for his Lancashire hat for next month’s County Championship.
Like last year, head coach Loney and his squad face group games against Somerset (May 17) and Yorkshire (May 31).
Lancashire’s home game will again be at Fylde, though this year the Woodlands will host the mouthwatering Roses clash.
“The game at Fylde will be ruthless and, if you get over the line, there’s a final at Twickenham,” said Loney
“Hopefully we’ll secure the squad we want and then it’s down to how quickly everyone can gel.”
