WOOLSTON Rovers will be looking to get back to winning ways when they return to action this Saturday, after a free weekend, with an away trip to Oldham to face Waterhead Warriors in the NCL League C. Kick off is 2.30pm at Peach Road, Waterhead.
Rovers Head of Coaching Mal Holt said, “We had a great start with two excellent wins but then we suffered back-to-back losses, with the manner of the defeat at Wigan St Patricks being disappointing but we have had time to reflect and Rob Campbell and I are confident that we can put in a performance this week that will give us a great chance of getting the right result. The lads are an honest bunch and they have been working hard in training to put things right. We have been a little disrupted through injuries that has meant more changes than we would have liked but the week off will have done us the power of good and we should have a few bodies back for Saturday. Waterhead is always a difficult place to go but we will be going there in a positive frame of mind.”
Meanwhile, Rovers ‘A’ team have really turned the corner of the past few weeks with two excellent ‘derby’ wins and they will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they entertain Wigan Bulldogs in the NWML Division Three on Saturday afternoon. Kick-off is 2.30pm at The Limestone Construction Field, Monks Sports Club, Hillock Lane, Woolston.
Rovers ‘A’ Coach Liam Lawton said, “The lads are really playing some great Rugby at the minute and the results are beginning to go our way; we always knew that once we got into a rhythm then we would be difficult to play against and that is now starting to show. We have got a massive squad, which makes selection that more difficult, but on the positive side it is making the lads who do get selected play well in order to keep the shirt. Wigan Bulldogs had a good win last weekend so will be confident but we know that if we play to the standard that we have been doing then we will make it extremely difficult for them.”
Back to back derby victories for A Team
Woolston Rovers ‘A’ made it back-to-back ‘derby’ victories when they produced a superb display to claim a convincing 10-24 victory at Crosfields ‘A’ in the NWML Division Three at Hood Lane Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon.
The home side took the lead in the ninth minute when scrum-half Joe Kohe-Love found full-back Morgan Williams and he put centre Ashley Catterall over in the right corner but Rovers hit back five minutes later when slick passing between four sets of hands saw the ball reach second row Sam Wood who forced his way over with two defenders on him. Loose forward Craig Lawton landed the conversion.
Just before the midway point of the half Rovers scrum-half Olly Hands made a forty-metre break before finding centre Callum Harnett-Smy in support on his outside to score on the right. Lawton converted and then right on the stroke of halftime Rovers stand-off Elliott Best kicked ahead and won the race to collect the ball and score on the right. Lawton added the conversion to give Rovers an 18-6 interval lead.
Five minutes into the second half Crosfields had winger Dylan Miller sin-binned for dissent and then just after the hour mark Soap loose forward Alex Clutterbuck was yellow-carded for a high tackle and in the resulting melee Miller was dismissed for running in and punching.
Rovers made sure of the win eight minutes from time when the impressive Hands made a great break that split the Crosfields defence and he found winger Simon Bishop in support to score on the right. Lawton converted but then the Soap gained a consolation try at the death when substitute Mitch McJay scored. Fellow substitute Sam Hickey converted to make the final score 24-10 to Rovers.
The Man of the Match was awarded to Rovers scrum-half Olly Hands. He was very well supported by loose forward Craig Lawton and stand-off Elliott Best. Best for the Soap were hooker Jordan Thomason, standoff Tom Smith and centre Taylor Boyne.
After the game Rovers ‘A’ coach Liam Lawton said, “The boys really did produce a performance to be proud of; every single player gave their all and we thoroughly deserved the win. We had a game plan that we thought would make us difficult to beat and that proved to be the case. To win away from home in a ‘derby’ game in the manner that we did is very pleasing.”
SOAP ‘A’
Morgan Williams, Jamie Harrison, Taylor Boyne, Ashley Catterall, Dylan Miller, Joe Kohe-Love, Elliot Bridge, Jordan Thomason, Tom Caswell, Liam James, Phil Brazendale, Alex Clutterbuck.
Subs: Sam Hickey, Mitch McJay, Jake Toher, Taylor Russell.
ROVERS ‘A’
Liam Sullivan, Simon Bishop, Dominic Ball, Callum Harnett-Smy, Olly Parr, Elliott Best, Olly Hands, Jake Proudlove, Tom Gaskell, Sean Withington, Tom Byrne, Sam Wood, Craig Lawton.
Subs:Wez Lawton, Tom Fagan, Ryan Palin, Niall Toher.
If you would like to be involved at Rovers in any capacity, please contact Club
Secretary Nikki Whalley on 07889 170895, e-mail [email protected] or log on to the club website at www.pitchero.com/clubs/woolstonroversrlfc/ for further details
