Plymouth Albion now have 7 wins from 8 games and have been certainly been showing what they are made of.
Albion delivered another dominant defensive display last weekend which helped Albion to a third win in a row and a move up to seventh place in National League One, following the 21-10 victory over a physical Cinderford side.
The visitors never got a sniff in the first half, with excellent kicking and chasing from the home side’s backs keeping the ball at the Cinderford end for a 14-0 half-time lead. And, while Cinderford fought back after the break, outscoring their hosts with a more disciplined display, Albion Head Coach, Kieran Hallett, was pleased with how his side handled it.
“They ran a lot at us in the second half and made some nice offloads; we were more stressed, but I think we handled it well. We were dominant and calm throughout the first half, though, which was pleasing” said Hallett.
So, looking ahead to this week’s game against Bishop’s Stortford, Albion are looking to avoid a repeat of when both teams met at the Brickfields. Whilst the game ended in a 23-19 win for Albion, it was a late show of power that allowed Albion to escape with the win.
The game was an untidy affair, full of poor discipline and errors from both sides who each racked up 14 penalties through 80 minutes, with Hallett saying; “Obviously I’m happy to get the win, we always celebrate our wins, but I thought it was a poor standard of game in general from both sides.”
The recent results coming through for Bishop’s Stortford are showing more similarities to that of Albion. Bishop’s Stortford have been playing well, with 4 wins on the bounce and racking up 144 points. The back three for Bishop’s Stortford have certainly been causing the other team’s a problem, so it is something Albion will be mindful of when stepping out on the pitch this Saturday.
Head Coach, Kieran Hallett said; “They [Bishop’s Stortford] are a good side, at the beginning of the season they had similar issues to us and were on the wrong side of a few very close results, however, their recent performances speak for themselves.”
Commenting on Albion’s recent performances, Hallett said; “We have been playing well recently, we have been working on certain elements of the game in more detail and they are starting to pay off now, so if we stick to the game plan, then we can come away with another win.”
Unfortunately, Albion will still be without, Dan Pullinger, Luke Chapman & Ashlee Crouch, all of which are recovering from injury. However, Dan Collier is back from injury, so could feature at some point this weekend.
The game, being played at the Silver Leys Ground, Bishop’s Stortford, this Saturday 9th February – Kick Off at 3pm.
Albion team to face Bishop’s Stortford:
- Will Norton, 2. Jamie Salter, 3. Chris Robinson, 4. Lewis Pearson, 5. Dan Collier, 6. Dan Swain, 7. George Mills, 8. Herbie Stupple, 9. Joe Snow, 10. Connor Eastgate, 11. Josh Skelcey, 12. Cam Setter, 13. Seta Raumakita, 14. Jordan Gott, 15. Matt Shepherd
Replacements:
16. Davy McGregor, 17. Ashlee Crouch, 18. Flynn Elworthy, 19. Jon Dawe, 20. Dan Powell
