PLYMOUTH ALBION TRAVEL TO TABLE TOPPING OLD ELTHAMIANS
Back in early November, Old Elthamians made the trip to the Brickfields as table toppers, but despite a closely fought game, Albion were pipped at the post with Old Elthamians winning 19 points to 15. This weekend, it’s Albion’s turn to make the trip up to the capital to take on, the still table topping, Old Elthamians.
Old Elthamians have been on a winning streak since their last loss, against Darlington, on January 5th. With 6 wins on the bounce Old Elthamians will be looking to make this their 7th win in a row, but following Albion’s critical win against Rotherham on the 16th February, they will have other ideas.
During the game against Rotherham, Albion showed they are a match for any team on the day and within the first 20mins went 14 points ahead, without reply. At this point Albion really should have pushed on, but instead they took their foot of the gas and allowed Rotherham to get back in the game.
Commenting on the game, Head Coach Kieran Hallett said; “We did enough in the first 20 minutes to settle the game, but as we’ve seen a couple of times this season, we just lost a little momentum in the second half and allowed them to keep us under pressure.
Kieran went on to say; “However, the team & I were pleased to walk away from the game with the win under our belt.”
So, what can we expect from Albion this week, in what is probably the biggest match of the season? According to Kieran Hallett; “For every game we set out to win and this game is no different, but I also think that it will be a great test of our character as a team, whilst also providing a good gauge to us as to how far we’ve come this season. We’re under no illusion though, this will be the toughest challenge of the season.”
The good news for Albion ahead of travelling is that the team is fairly settled. The main change this week is that Rusi Tuima will come in for Lewis Pearson, after he picked up a slight injury in training this week. On the flip side, Sam Daly who has missed most of the season through injury, returns to the squad after a couple of games on loan to Taunton. Alongside Sam on the bench is Frank Kelly, who signed for Albion earlier this season after shining in the Plymouth Albion Development squad.
Starting line-up:
James Kenny, Jamie Salter, Daniel Pullinger, Rusi Tuima, Daniel Swain, Paul Davis, George Mills, Herbie Stupple, Cam Setter, Connor Eastgate, Jack Arnott, Dean Squire, Josh Skelcey, Matt Shepherd.
Replacements:
Davy McGregor, Frank Kelly, Dan Powell, Will Norton, Sam Daly
The game will kick off at 2pm at College Meadow, Marvels Lane, London, SE12 9PH
