Match thread: Championship Round 9: London v Featherstone. Sunday 16th April 2023.

[marklaspalmas]

Eight wins from eight and on we roll.

Our last game until May.

With Taylor dropping out before kick off at Batley, it felt like we were down to the bare bones of a squad.

But we showed some character, overcame adversity and picked up the points.

London have been up and down, well beaten in Toulouse last week, but a different proposition on their own patch.

Tricky one, but the win is vital for us to close the first third of the the season unbeaten.

Plus point: Koppy will be back, an important presence up front. Also Moors should be available after failing his RTP. Evans and Fleming missed out at Batley.

I don't think we picked up any more knocks from that game.

From our 26 man squad, the following will be unavailable with injury: Ford, Kehierallah, Hankinson, Hepi, Taylor, Lacans, Springer. Three knees, one back, three hammies.

That leaves us with 19, which we supplemented last week with Vete and Aydin.

Hopefully we'll have a good week at training and have too much for the Broncos at Wimbledon.

This will be a new ground for Featherstone Rovers, the 120th different venue the first team have played at in their 102 senior years.

[Phil Briscoe]

Ye will be important to get Koppy and hopefully Moors back. That should give us a bit too much for London up front and some good rotation. 

[The Phantom Horseman]

Spare a thought for Luke Cooper if he's recalled from Doncaster this week and makes the travelling squad (both of which I doubt will happen). This would be his second journey to Wimbledon in a fortnight, with a trip to Cornwall in between.

Edited April 10, 2023 by The Phantom Horseman

[Michael Bates]

Can we find a half before Sunday or do we use the break to hope Lacans recovers or we find one?

[Rovers fev]

Think if Hally trains at 6 we don’t need to find a replacement as after London we have 3 week off so hopefully 1 of killer lacans Taylor or Ford will be ready for then 

[The Phantom Horseman]

1 hour ago, Rovers fev said:

Think if Hally trains at 6 we don’t need to find a replacement as after London we have 3 week off so hopefully 1 of killer lacans Taylor or Ford will be ready for then 

We are told it will be "early May" for Lacans and "late May" for Ford and Kheirallah.

We don't know for sure that Taylor is definitely out for the London game yet do we? He said himself he was touch and go all week for the Batley game prior to pulling out after the warm up so presumably his hamstring injury isn't of the same severity as the others.

I think it would be a hard sell to get someone in at half back on a short-term loan when there's only the London away game then 2 weekends off before possibly Lacans might return and/or Taylor. So I too suspect we'll try to limp through with Hall (or Taylor if he's fit) this weekend, we're playing a really stripped-down game plan at the moment anyway.

[POR]

With the two loanees still here for another week Koppy back from suspension and junior in contention don't think coops will be bothering the score board this week 

[Rovers fev]

I’d avoid playing vete and aydin this week didn’t break any pots for me 

 

[HAVERCROFT10]

Thought Aydin put the effort in.

[haskey]

I understand you have to play loanees or what is the point in having them 

[Fevrover]

5 hours ago, Rovers fev said:

I’d avoid playing vete and aydin this week didn’t break any pots for me 

 

It was their first game so we've got to give em chance.

[POR]

people seem to forget vete tackled lad who intercepted and ran away from the defence in 1st half and in the 2nd put his foot in dead and got us penalty on half way

[Monkeymagic22]

22 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

It was their first game so we've got to give em chance.

I’d agree, probably had one training session maximum, hard to judge after one match.

[Phil Briscoe]

Longy clearly doesn’t rate Fleming otherwise this would have been the period when he got some game time. 

[gazza77]

2 hours ago, Phil Briscoe said:

Longy clearly doesn’t rate Fleming otherwise this would have been the period when he got some game time. 

I suspect I'm not the only one who wasn't sure why we signed him in the first place, other than as backup for the backup, in an emergency. 

[marklaspalmas]

[marklaspalmas]

The squad for Wimbledon looks better now with Lacans back in, and ET apparently ok after the hamstring pull.

Neither of last week's loanees included.

Koppy will surely start and I hope Junior Moors gets some much needed game time.

Perhaps Craig Hall will miss out?

[J Phil Loxton]

9 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

The squad for Wimbledon looks better now with Lacans back in, and ET apparently ok after the hamstring pull.

Neither of last week's loanees included.

Koppy will surely start and I hope Junior Moors gets some much needed game time.

Perhaps Craig Hall will miss out?

Is Evans injured Mark? 

[gazza77]

14 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

The squad for Wimbledon looks better now with Lacans back in, and ET apparently ok after the hamstring pull.

Neither of last week's loanees included.

Koppy will surely start and I hope Junior Moors gets some much needed game time.

Perhaps Craig Hall will miss out?

Loanees both included. The list you've posted only has 19 named for whatever reason. 

 

[marklaspalmas]

9 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

Loanees both included. The list you've posted only has 19 named for whatever reason. 

 

I simply quoted the original tweet which was obviously a mistake as it had only 19 names on it.

 

[marklaspalmas]

14 minutes ago, J Phil Loxton said:

Is Evans injured Mark? 

I don't know mate. I assume not in that he did 18th man duties at Batley. He's back to being 3rd choice winger I guess.

[gazza77]

4 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

I simply quoted the original tweet which was obviously a mistake as it had only 19 names on it.

 

I'd gathered.

[Monkeymagic22]

8 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

I don't know mate. I assume not in that he did 18th man duties at Batley. He's back to being 3rd choice winger I guess.

Thought Evans did ok when he played, and for me, he’s less likely to make a howler than Briscoe.

[The Grinder]

56 minutes ago, Monkeymagic22 said:

Thought Evans did ok when he played, and for me, he’s less likely to make a howler than Briscoe.

I have no idea how you work that out unless you've been watching them both down in training (I haven't BTW).

[Monkeymagic22]

23 minutes ago, The Grinder said:

I have no idea how you work that out unless you've been watching them both down in training (I haven't BTW).

Just basing it on the number of mistakes I’ve seen in matches to be honest. Wouldn’t think training was relevant in working this out. It’s a limited sample with Evans, but I’d struggle to think he was worse under a high ball. I like Briscoe, always give 100%, finishes well, and takes it in hard, but too many handling errors. Any way, each to their own view on this, but obviously only Longies view really counts.