Mayfield preview

Mayfield hope to use this afternoon’s fixture, at the Mayfield Sports Centre, against Milford Marlins, to kick start their season.

With four straight defeats you might expect morale to be low, on the contrary, the Rochdale side know the first win is just around the corner, and once it comes the team will kick on from there.

Coach, Sam Butterworth will delay naming his side but with three players back in contention there will be changes, Simpson, Higgs and Kumai should all be available for selection today (17 September) and this could make the difference.

“I still maintain in general we have played reasonably well we have just failed to gel as a unit,” said Butterworth, “We went some way to rectifying that last week with a creditable performance at Siddal and today we hope to continue that improvement.

“We created more chances last week and apart from a poor first twenty minutes we out scored Siddal, we are not under estimating Milford, who are a good side but if we perform in the same way today we can take the two points from them.”

In the sponsors zone with Ace Electrical this afternoon are Manchester Shooting Club, Advantage Construction and D Brookes Joinery with the match ball sponsored by Unique Sports,

The NCL Alliance team are also in action at home today where they take on local rivals Saddleworth.

The visitors like Mayfield have won their only outing of the season so a close contest is anticipated.

Coach Ashworth is relishing the encounter, he said: “We are in a good league this season with several derby games against the Oldham teams which is fantastic for the young lads we have brought in this year. Once again team selection will be tough but I will put out the seventeen lads I feel are best placed to win this game.”

Chris Brett takes his academy side on the road for the first time as they travel to Wigan where they face Ashton. The academy side are chomping at the bit to get back in action after last weeks postponement and are confident of taking the points in their first away fixture of the season.

Brett said: “I was unavailable for the first game but the reports were good, the lads pulled out all the stops and I will accept nothing less today.”

All players meet at club 12.30pm.

Fixtures:
NCL Mayfield v Milford kick off: 2.30pm
NCL Alliance Mayfield v Saddleworth kick off: 2.30pm
NWC Ashton v Mayfield kick off: 2.30pm
Mayfield old boys go head to head Two Mayfield old bots will go head to head today as Janan Billings brings his McAuley High School team from Australia to Rochdale where they will take no Matt Calland’s Hopwood Hall College team.

Both sides have good pedigrees and a cracking game of rugby league is anticipated.

Janan was a favourite at Mayfield for many years before returning to his native Australia to take up a teaching post at McAuley.

Kick off at 12.00 at Mayfield Sports Centre.