Bears aim for All Golds

Bears aim for two in a row, and a first away victory.

Gloucestershire All Golds v Coventry Bears

Match preview by Mike Hyde

This Saturday, Coventry Bears make the relatively short trip over to Cheltenham where they will be playing Gloucestershire All Golds at the Prince of Wales Stadium kick-off 3pm.

They will be looking to avenge the home defeat they suffered at the hands of the All Golds back in May, when a disappointing spell in the second half cost them a game where they had very much been the equals of their neighbours.

The result that day was 18-26 as the away side took advantage of the Bear’s mistakes after being deadlocked 12-12 at half time.

The All Golds have had a respectable season on the pitch,with ten victories across all competitions this year.But they have failed to attract the crowds needed to sustain a team, and mid-season there was talk of them moving to Gloucester, arguably a more receptive urban venue than the rather genteel spa town of Cheltenham.

Whilst Rugby League is always full of rumours, it emerged last week that the All Golds respected coachLee Greenwoodis leaving the club at the end of the season to hopefully find employment in the North of England, nearer to where he comes from. Whether this has a demoralising or galvanising effect on his young team remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, our Bears tasted victory again at the weekend over Hemel Stags. This was not an easy victory, but a well fought one, their third infront of the Butts Park crowd.

Buoyed by this they go into Saturday’s match with the likes of Oxford firmly in their sights as they yet again look to pull away from the stragglers at the foot of the table. Another aim is also to continue blending in the new recruits so they are a well formed unit for the start of next season, in contrast to this seasons faltering start and turnover of players.

It has to be said that the Bears have not fared well away from home this season, and haven’t yet managed to win two games in a row either, so the task is not easy. Nevertheless, that will be what they are aiming to do when these two young sides meet this weekend.      

Team:

1. Mikey Russell

2. Hayden Freeman

3. Matt Reid

4. Jason Bass

5. Jamahl Hunte

6. Paul Emmanuelli

7. Brad Delaney

8. Brad Brennan

9. Billy Gaylor

10. Paddy Jones

11. Kieran Sherratt

12. Chris Barratt

13. Zak Williams

14. James kelly

15. James Geurtjens

16. Jack Morrison

17. Dan Gover

18. Alex Beddows

19. Harry Chapman