Pirates v Moseley - Sunday 21st January Kick Off 1500 Pirates
coach Jim McKay last night said his side will not underestimate the threat of
National One rivals Moseley, even though they have beaten them twice already this
season. Having defeated
the Midlanders 52-16 at Camborne back in September, McKay's men then secured a
league double by winning 42-15 at Billesley Common some three months later. This
Sunday, however, there will be no league points on offer, instead a spot in the
fifth round of this season's EDF Energy National Trophy awaits the victors. However,
as in the two previous encounters, McKay is desperate for a similar outcome from
his side. "Although we've beaten Moseley twice already that will count for
nothing on Sunday," warned the Australian.  | "As
results have shown in our division this season, any side is capable of beating
another on the day. Moseley are a very good side, have a good line-out, and they
have some experienced players - right across the park - who can cause you all
sorts of problems." However, buoyed by last
weekend's late win at Newbury, the Pirates will head into Sunday's showdown as
odds-on favourites to progress into round five. "Last
week was another very important win for us," added McKay. "The boys
played very well, especially in the conditions which weren't great again. It was
probably the best we have played in a month, but I don't think the end scoreline
really reflected just how well we did. "The
important thing was that we won, which we did. We've had some real arm wrestles
over the last month, but on each occasion we've dug deep and we've come away with
the result, which is the most important factor." | | Coach
'Jim McKay' |
Although McKay has yet to finalise
his squad for Sunday's match, the Aussie is likely to make changes to his winning
line-up. He is boosted by the return to fitness of Alan Paver, Sam Heard, James
Inglis, Lewis Vinnicombe and Duncan Roke, while promising youngsters Darren Dawiduik,
Rhodri Wells and Scott Hobson have also been named in the 22-man squad. "There
maybe some changes, but it won't really affect us too much. As I've said before,
we want to win every game we play and this one is no different," added McKay.
"We've had a good week in training and all the boys are raring to go. It
may be a week off from the league, but in the grand scheme of things it is still
a very important match for us." With a host of testing
games looming on the horizon, the Pirates' coach will be delighted to see so many
of his walking wounded back in contention for selection. However,
Moseley's situation is not so healthy, particularly as they have lost their last
four leagues games. Last Saturday they slipped to a 36-25 defeat at local rivals
Pertemps Bees. Pirates (from): A Winnan, D Roke,
R McAtee, D Bell, S Winn, L Vinnicombe, A Di Bernardo, G Cattle, R Wells, G Anderson,
A Paver, S Heard, D Seal, N Makin, D Dawiduik, J Inglis, J Beardshaw, S Hobson,
C Cracknell, I Motusaga, M Evans, T Cowley. PIRATES officials are keen to
remind spectators that Sunday's fixture is an all-pay game.
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