Aspatria set to hit back after losing Morpeth game
Last updated 17:20, Friday, 31 October 2008
Aspatria have to get back on track tomorrow at Bower Park when they host struggling Gateshead.
It was a frustrating game for the Black Reds on Saturday when they went down 21-5 at Morpeth, because it was one they should have won.
They were left to rue a catalogue of second half handling errors that should have given them a deserved away win.
To the consternation of the coaching team of Mike Scott and Adrian Bateson, at least three seemingly certain scores were missed when a final pass went to ground. By the close of the game Aspatria should have been home and hosed.
Unfortunately, to add insult to injury it was Morpeth who had the last laugh. In the last five minutes of the game the home side broke out and were able to seal victory with a second converted try that proved to be the last act of the match.
Gateshead have only won one match in six and have struggled on their travels so the Black Reds will be expecting to add to their problems tomorrow.
Also in North Two East is the Cumbrian derby between Carlisle and Penrith at Warwick Road.
There’s also a big local derby in North Lancs Cumbria with Workington and Keswick going head-to-head at the Ellis Sports Ground.
The Zebras beat Oldham last week after surviving an early scare and then a late surge by their visitors.
Keswick, however, were forced to miss out as their home game with Tyldesley was a victim of the weather.
Wigton also had to postpone their scheduled home clash with Heaton Moor but are back at Lowmoor Road tomorrow with a visit from Kirkby Lonsdale.
Coach Malcolm Brown says: “It’s too early to say this is a defining game with 17 fixtures left but it’s very important to us. Kirkby Lonsdale are second in the table, two points better off from the same number of games.
“The League is already showing signs of breaking up into two distinct halves so we want to be up there with the leading group and a defeat might start to leave us getting detached.”
Wigton picked-up a few knocks in training, that’s the intense nature of preparations these days, so they will select from a pool of 21 players. David Warwick, Greg Morton and Lance Hetherington are added to the squad of players chosen last week.
In the Cumbria League St. Benedict’s racked-up 67 points last week after switching their home game to Creighton because their own pitch was unplayable.
Tomorrow they visit Cockermouth who went down 32-0 at Millom.
Aspatria Eagles have a tasty home clash with Millom while Wigton Wanderers travel to the League’s most improved team Egremont, 3-0 winners over Whitehaven in the Copeland derby.
Whitehaven travel to Creighton while Moresby host Netherhall and Gosforth Greengarth have Workington Steelers as their visitors.
There’s a match at Wigton on Sunday (2pm) when Cumbria Under-18s entertain Lancashire.
