Sheff promises to be tasty trip for Westoe
FOR title-chasing Westoe, three hurdles remain in the final straight to either delight or bitter disappointment.
And the trip to Sheffield Tigers' lofty, windswept lair tomorrow is expected to be the toughest of them all.
With three games remaining, the Shieldsmen are on top of North One, two points ahead of Hull and four points in front of the Tigers, who have a match in hand.
Still up for grabs are the champions' spot – and with it automatic promotion into National Three (North) – and the runners-up place which would involve a play-off with the Midland One counterparts.
Hull, with a scoring record just 14 points adrift of Westoe's, have what appears to be much the easiest run-in against opponents in the lower half of the division – at home to Stockport and West Park St Helens and away at West Hartlepool.
Sheffield host mid-table Middlesbrough, and face relegation candidates Darlington (away) and Cleckheaton (home).
Gareth Nesbit's men round the season off at home against gritty fourth-top Birkenhead Park and then against lowly, but recently revitalised, Beverley.
All of which goes to show just how vital tomorrow's clash at Sheffield's Dore Moor ground is for a Westoe squad who have scored 128 points in their last two games with resounding victories over Darlington and Cleckheaton.
Realistically, the second-top spot is the best the Yorkshiremen can hope for, and a win tomorrow would significantly enhance their chances.
Certainly, the Tigers showed their claws at Wood Terrace in November when Dunes Adventure Island-sponsored Westoe gained a narrow 20-16 victory thanks to a severely-tested, but resolute, defence and a fluke of a second-half try.
A provisional 20-man squad has been selected, conspicuous by the absence of big-hearted No 8 and important ball carrier Graeme Smith, who has played in all 22 league and cup games.
He tore knee ligaments in his last outing and, cruelly, is almost certain to miss the rest of the season, but John Dye, who has been injured for almost all the campaign, has returned to fitness and form in the Seconds, and so steps in.
Nesbit said: "All away games are tough at this level, but we all know we must beat Sheffield, and then win our last two games as well. It is vital we play to our full potential.
"We didn't at Morley and Middlsbrough, and we paid the price. We have worked hard in training and are fully focused, fit and ready to go."
Most unusually, not one Westoe team is playing at home, the Seconds having a Candy League game at Horden and the Thirds, Fourths, and Colts also all travelling on league duty to, respectively, Prudhoe and Stocksfield, Novocastrians and Penrith.
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Weather for South Shields
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South west
