Struggling Lions need to make their home advantage count

The Division Two North basement boys are at home on Saturday but face another tough task in their bid to survive at Step Four level.

Huddersfield are the visitors to Solstice Park, Bretton, (kick-off 3pm) and they’re on a roll.

The West Yorkshire outfit lost their first two games of the season but have won their last five. They’ve overcome Tynedale (24-21), Leicester Lions (17-15) and Preston Grasshoppers (28-27) in home matches and beaten Sheffield Tigers (34-10) and Macclesfield (26-15) away.

“Of course it’s a tough one . . . every game is tough for us because we’re new to this level and we’re learning all the time,” said Lions chairman Andy Moore.

“But don’t read anything into current form. There are big shocks every week - that’s the nature of this league. One minute teams are brilliant, the next they’re rubbish. It’s so up and down.

“We ended Chester’s unbeaten run two weeks ago and then last Saturday Chester go and beat the league leaders Hinckley.

“And Fylde get smashed at Tynedale one week and then come out and smash us the next. Anything can happen.

“If teams lose their focus for a minute, they’re punished. Errors are so costly at this level.

“Home games are becoming so important. We’ve always said we have to win our home games to stay up. We played well to beat Chester in our last home game, let’s hope we can repeat that performance.

“One thing’s for sure, we won’t be as bad as last week.”

Moore was referring to a 47-7 trouncing his team took at Fylde on Saturday.

The Lions never got going at all and struggled in all areas against a Lancashire side bristling with young talent, players from the Sale Sharks Academy with England Under 16 and England Under 18 experience.

“They had injury problems but drafted in some quality players. They outclassed us. We never got off the bus,” added Moore.

Borough meanwhile are away at Rugby Lions in Midlands Division One on Saturday and they’ll be looking to bounce back after slipping up at home to West Bridgford last time out.

Rugby Lions have lost their last four matches - 57-21 to Paviors, 46-35 to Oundle, 48-5 to Old Northamptonians and 60-27 to Oadby Wyggestonians.

FIXTURES

SATURDAY october 20

ENGLISH CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIP

National League Division Two North: Peterborough Lions v Huddersfield.

Midlands Division One: Rugby Lions v Peterborough, Wellingborough v Oundle.

Midlands Division Two East (South): Bugbrooke v Huntingdon.

Midlands Division Three East (South): Stamford v Leicester Forest, Stockwood Park v Bourne.

Midlands Division Three East (North): Spalding v Mansfield.

Midlands Division Four East (South): Deepings v Bedford Swifts, Stamford College Old Boys v Sileby Town, Thorney v Northampton Mens Own.

London Division Three Eastern Counties: Wisbech v Fakenham.

TABLES

NATIONAL LEAGUE TWO (NORTH)

P W D L Bon Pts

Hull Ionians 7 6 0 1 6 30

Hinckley 7 6 0 1 5 29

Sedgley Park 7 5 0 2 6 26

Huddersfield 7 5 0 2 6 26

Chester 6 5 0 1 4 24

Fylde 7 4 0 3 7 23

Stourbridge 7 4 0 3 4 20

Sheffield Tigers 7 3 0 4 6 18

South Leicester 7 3 1 3 3 17

Wharfedale 7 3 0 4 5 17

Preston 7 2 0 5 8 16

Otley 7 3 0 4 2 14

Leicester Lions 7 2 0 5 5 13

Tynedale 6 1 1 4 7 13

Macclesfield 7 1 0 6 2 6

Peterboro Lions 7 1 0 6 2 6

MIDLANDS DIVISION ONE (EAST)

P W D L Bon Pts

Kettering 6 6 0 0 5 29

Paviors 6 5 0 1 7 27

Oundle 6 5 0 1 4 24

Towcestrians 6 4 0 2 4 20

Wellingborough 6 4 0 2 2 18

Oadby 6 3 0 3 5 17

Lutterworth 6 3 0 3 5 17

West Bridgford 6 3 0 3 5 17

ONs 6 3 0 3 3 15

Peterborough 6 2 0 4 5 13

Rugby Lions 6 2 0 4 3 11

Leighton Buzzard 6 1 0 5 3 7

Old Scouts 6 1 0 5 2 6

Melton Mowbray 6 0 0 6 2 2

MIDLANDS DIVISION TWO EAST (SOUTH)

P W D L Bon Pts

Mkt Harborough 4 4 0 0 3 19

Olney 4 3 0 1 4 16

St Ives 4 3 0 1 3 15

Stewarts & Lloyds 4 3 0 1 3 15

Belgrave 4 3 0 1 3 15

Market Bosworth 4 2 0 2 3 11

Coalville 4 2 0 2 3 11

Bugbrooke 4 2 0 2 2 10

Oakham 4 2 0 2 1 9

Long Buckby 4 0 0 4 2 2

Vipers 4 0 0 4 1 1

Huntingdon 4 0 0 4 1 1

MIDLANDS DIVISION THREE EAST (SOUTH)

P W D L Bon Pts

N’hampton Casuals 4 4 0 0 1 17

Dunstablians 4 3 0 1 4 16

Daventry 4 3 0 1 4 16

Stamford 4 3 0 1 3 15

Birstall 4 2 1 1 1 11

Queens 4 2 0 2 1 9

Leicester Forest 3 1 1 1 2 8

Stockwood Park 4 1 1 2 2 8

Biggleswade 4 1 0 3 1 5

Bourne 4 1 0 3 0 4

Rushden & Higham 4 0 1 3 0 2

St Neots 3 0 0 3 0 0

MIDLANDS DIVISION THREE EAST (NORTH)

P W D L Bon Pts

Nott’ham Casuals 4 4 0 0 3 19

Belper 4 3 0 1 2 14

Ashfield 4 3 0 1 2 14

Kesteven 4 3 0 1 1 13

Mansfield 4 3 0 1 0 12

Spalding 4 2 0 2 3 11

Tupton 4 2 0 2 3 11

Buxton 4 2 0 2 2 10

Moderns 4 1 0 3 4 8

Rolls Royce 4 1 0 3 2 6

Sleaford 4 0 0 4 2 2

Bakewell 4 0 0 4 0 0

MIDLANDS DIVISION FOUR EAST (SOUTH)

P W D L Bon Pts

Brackley 4 4 0 0 1 17

Northampton BBOB 3 3 0 0 2 14

Wellingboro O.G. 4 2 0 2 3 11

Sileby Town 3 2 0 1 2 10

Aylestone St James 3 2 0 1 1 9

Deepings 4 2 0 2 0 8

Thorney 4 1 0 3 3 7

Mens Own 2 1 0 1 1 5

Stamford Coll OB 4 1 0 3 1 5

Bedford Swifts 3 1 0 2 0 4

Kempston 4 0 0 4 1 1

LONDON DIVISION THREE EASTERN COUNTIES

P W D L Bon Pts

Holt 4 4 0 0 4 20

Wymondham 5 4 0 1 4 20

West Norfolk 5 4 0 1 3 19

Ely 4 3 0 1 4 16

Fakenham 4 2 0 2 3 11

Wisbech 5 2 0 3 2 10

Thetford 5 2 0 3 1 9

Crusaders 5 1 0 4 2 6

Woodbridge 4 1 0 3 1 5

Ipswich Y.M. 4 1 0 3 0 4

Thurston 5 1 0 4 0 4