Harrogate test on Rossy return
ROSSENDALE return from their three-week midseason break tomorrow as they travel to Harrogate for the North Premier League fixture. Fourth-placed Rossendale are currently three points ahead of the hosts in the league, but first team coach Mark Nelson thinks the game will be a tough match for his side.
“Harrogate are the only team we haven’t got a point off this season. When we played them last we lost by over 10 points so we didn’t get the bonus point either.
“They are only a place behind us in the table so it will be an interesting match,” Nelson said.
Nelson’s team are in good form currently, having finished the month of December unbeaten - but coming off the back of a long break brings its own challenges.
“With the exception of one charity game, the lads haven’t played a game of rugby in three weeks,” he said. “We’ll have one training session this week where the lads can get their boots on but it’s a long time without a game. Of course though, Harrogate will be the same, so there is that.
“But the break has given us time to recuperate, and I’m hoping the players freshness will outweigh the lack of game time.”
Saturday’s fixture is the first of four games the team will face this month, three of which are away from home.
Having only won two away matches so far this season, games on the road have been somewhat of a trouble spot for Rossendale.
The side did in fact win their last away match before the break, beating Alnwick 7-15, which has given Nelson and his team a boost ahead of their difficult January run.
“We’ve got bonus points when we’ve played away, and in terms of mashing points away from home we’ve effectively got four wins,” he said.
“But we do have to start getting wins away and I’m hoping that the performance and the result from up at Alnwick will set us in good stead going into the new year, as seven out of the twelve remaining games are away from home so that will be a challenge” said Nelson.
Rossendale are set to play second place Billingham in two weeks time, as well as facing Sandal and Ilkley this month – a tough set of fixtures with important points on offer.
Nelson emphasised the importance of collecting points this month.
“There are twelve games left and four of them are in this month, so I don’t know about wins being vital but it is obviously important in the sense that there are 20 points on offer out of 60 points left in the season.
“But, we are just focused on us and our performance, and if we perform well then the results should come.”