Match preview –Newport Salop v Bees Saturday 30th January
Renaissance men meet Shropshire lads
The Bees will be looking to continue their recent renaissance as they travel to Shropshire to face Newport (Salop) this Saturday (30th January KO 2.15pm).
Last week, the Bees came out top in an arm wrestle in some very muddy conditions to narrowly beat Longton 8-5 at Portway. In doing, so they notched up a second successive win (having also defeated Lichfield the previous Saturday) – a feat that they hadn’t managed to achieve previously this season, as well as doing “the double” on a second side in two weeks.
This week’s game will be crucial for both sides in their respective efforts to gain some altitude above the relegation zone. Newport currently reside one place and four points below the Bees in 10th spot in National League 3 Midlands, but with a game in hand. They have accumulated 29 points so far this season with six wins notched up in the process – the same number as their visitors on Saturday.
The Bees make just the one personnel change to the side that beat Longton last week. Martin Hooker starts at scrum half, with Chris Fensome dropping to the bench to provide cover in the backs.
The Shropshire side comes into the fixture on the back of a 12-31 away win last week against bottom of the table Sutton Coldfield. Four of their five other victories have all come at home this season, with scalps taken against Old Northamptonians (36-3), Sandbach (35-14), Bromsgrove (45-26) and Lichfield (27-10).
Newport’s only other away win came at Portway back in October, in a game that many Bees players (and indeed the supporters that witnessed it) would wish to forget. Despite being 23-13 to the good at half time, with the opposition down to 13 men, Mike Hill’s men rallied in the second half to deservedly take the game 31-34 – pacey wingers Josh Evans and Henry Vaka both bagging a brace of tries that day.
Whilst another four league points will be the primary target for the Bees at Newport this weekend, another win would also make it three out of three – something that hasn’t been achieved since February/March 2012.
However, given the lesson they were given in resilience by Newport back in October, no doubt the words of AE Housman’s ‘A Shropshire Lad’ will have been ringing in the ears of the Bees’ interim coaching duo, Willy and Spanner this week – “train for ill and not for good.”
Birmingham & Solihull team selected v Newport Saturday 30th January 2.150pm KO:- Alex O’Malley, Nyle Beckett, Mikey Whettell, Brian Sibiya, Aaron Wilson, Mitchell McGahan, Matt Tibbatts, Ashley Scriven, Darren Forder, Matt Spink, Chris Goddard ©, Pete Koziot, Zane Raimondi and Dan Toth. Replacements – Josh Evans, Michael Stephens and Chris Fensome.