Hoppers season review

So what can we take from the 2009/10 season. Hoppers will finish in the lower half of a strong division, but could have gone on to better things if a little luck was on there side. Not only did they lose a number of key players in the off season, the likes of fly half Marcus Jackson and couty back row Andrew Dockray, both who had to leave the are for jobs, but two key players left during the season for a bigger pay packet at a lower level. Add to that a season that has seen one of the biggest injury crisis' in club history and things were stacked against them from the start.

Head Coach Alex Keay said: It’s been a real rollercoaster season, we started ok, then went on a bit of an average run but by Christmas I would probably think we were the form team in the league and then when the weather kicked in even though we played quite well over a Harrogate and when you look at that result in high insight we lost 12-9 and we could have won and they have gone on to be the form team in the league since Christmas.

He added: "There are lots of reasons why we are not playing very well at the moment some of which we can do something about, others we probably can’t, whether it’s through quality of player, age or injury. But they are things we have to try and deal with it. We made our mark by playing inside our budget and things like that but budgets dictate the kind of player that you can look to bring in and we have lost two very good quality players during the season in Darren Wilson and Mark Hanson so you can’t really complain. We are struggling at times to put one really quality player out and maybe have at best three quality players. We have the likes of Luke Cunningham and Tom Hughes but they are getting submerged by the others. But we have put some very good young players out and people have to be patient with them. Unfortunately people aren’t patient and I think that people should be more realistic and trust that we are going to put in the necessary pieces."


The 2010 part of the season has been a disappointment but with a unparalleled 11 player missing from the team that started the opening weeks, and around 30 player (some definite first XV and others on the fringe) it is amazing that Hoppers have finished the fixture list at all.

So to break down the season there is;

The Good; The emergence of young players- Tom Hughes (13) is developing in to one of the best centre's in the league, tough to bring down, runs superb lines and will tackle anything that moves. Jordan Pearson (6) is a flanker in the Lewis Moody mold, a brave and tough tackling player who will give 100% and always provide a physical (if sometimes a little to aggressive) presence. Alex Zavallis-Roebuck (10) is a real maverick and probably the most naturally gifted player at the club if not the league. His vision and skill set him apart from other and gives him the ability to control the game.

The Bad; The consistency and mistakes; So many times you came away thinking what could have been and what should have been. Games became forward dominated when they really should have been put in the hands of the youthful and exuberant backs. Their needs to be greater leadership shown on the field but after losing so many key players it can be difficult to adjust.

The Ugly; An extraordinary number of injuries, key men like Phil Whyte (13) and Marc Balshaw (5)hardly played and managed to get injured as soon as they returned. With around 30 players unavailable the season was always going to be a struggle

Macclesfield strengthen grip on title

Hoppers were put to the sword by a rampant Macclesfield side that are now in pole position to win National 2 (North). Macc ran in eight tries and showed just why they are leading the way in the league but Hoppers can be proud of a team that showed plenty of commitment and could have made more impact on the score sheet but for a bit of luck and some poor officiating.

Macclesfield were worthy winners and built the win around there impressive pack and strong set piece, the visiting forwards dominated for the majority of the game but Hoppers put in a great amount of effort up front and when they did manage to get the ball out to the backs they caused the league leaders some real problems that wasn’t reflected in the final score.

The visitors got off to a great start with two tries from Evan Stewart; the flanker picked some great lines throughout the game and hit the line hard. He got his first after a sustained series of possession in the Hoppers half, Macc were patient and waited for the gaps to appear and Stewart blasted his way through a couple of tackles. The second was from a scrum on the 22, Macc turned it towards the short side and Stewart was in support to pick a good line and cross for his second. The ever reliable Ross Winney converted both and was near perfect throughout the game.
Hoppers were causing the visitors some problems with Tom Ball sniping around the breakdown and Tom Hughes was a constant threat throughout, they created a couple of half chances and were unlucky not to be rewarded for their effort.

Macc increased their lead when centre Matthew O’Regan claimed two tries in quick succession, the first came after he picked up a loose pass, after Macc had enjoyed a good spell of possession, and used the slight hesitation in the home defence to his advantage and outpaced the covering players to score in the corner. The second, that secured the try bonus point when he picked a great line of Winney’s inside shoulder to slice through the midfield.

Hoppers got on the board through a Tom Hughes penalty but the joy was short lived as they were reduced to 14 men just before half time when John Young was shown a yellow card, his second dubious sin binning in consecutive games. Macc chose to take the scrum and again used the inside ball well as Stewart powered through to complete his hat trick. Winney converted to give the visitors a 33-3 lead at the half.

The second half continued in the same vein as Hoppers put in a lot of effort but just did not have the clinical edge to put points on the board. To make matters worse they were not only battling the leagues top side but the referee, as no sooner had Young returned than Matt Hughes was sent to the bin for a similar infringement, this time on half way, but a catalogue of Macc penalties inside the 5m line never produced one card for the visitors.

Macclesfield showed their though with three more well taken tries in the second half, Fergus Mulchrone scored a superb solo effort after collecting a kick on half way, the winger set off in field but the cut back against the grain to capitalise on a gaping hole and outpaced the defence.

Replacement John Lowden was put through a massive gap by another great pass from Winney, who controlled the game from start to finish and Mulchrone completed the rout when he was on hand to round of an impressive break from Tony Howcroft.

Hoppers continued to try and create and never gave up the cause, while the result did nothing for the side the effort and commitment on the pitch should at least give hope for the future.

Hoppers opponents 2009/10

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Click on the icons above the team location to access links to the match reports and the opponents website.

Hoppers poor away form continues

Hoppers lost on the road again in a frustrating contest in which the final score does not reflect the overall performance. There was plenty of commitment on display from both sides but there were also a catalogue of errors that disrupted the flow of the game.

The opening 15 minutes was a bit of a stalemate with both defences standing strong and able to cancel out the opposing attack. Hoppers were looking comfortable and managed to turn the ball over on a number of occasions and were able to use the wind to their advantage to control territory. They took with lead midway through the half with fly half Nick Smith’s sweetly struck penalty after the host were guilty of playing the ball on the ground.

Smith was involved in most of Hoppers good work in the first half and just a couple of minutes later a good looking chip and chase was only thwarted when he was pulled back illegally inside the 22, Hoppers took the line out but were held up just short from the catch and drive.

Just before the half hour mark things started to unravel, Hoppers were reduced to 14 men when prop John Young was shown a yellow card for killing the ball only a couple of metre’s short of the line, however, Young did not appear to be the guilty player.

Ionians took the lead moments after, choosing to go for a line out and as the driving maul was being set up Danny Hague peeled off the side and showed good strength to power over. The hosts made full use of the man advantage and extended their lead in fortunate circumstances. After winning possession Ionians set about on a good looking attack and got up to the Hoppers 22, but when the ball was spun out to the wing, everyone apart from the officials saw the ball knocked on but Stephen Slingsby was allowed to play on and score by the posts. James Ferguson added the extras to take the hosts into the break with a 12-3 lead.

The second half got off to its worst possible start when James Greene intercepted an offload on half way and set off towards the line, while he was stopped short by a good tackle he offloaded to Ferguson who touched down for Ionians third try.

Hoppers showed great commitment and were unlucky not to add to their score, Marc Balshaw bravely charged down a kick in goal and Tom Hughes was just short of the line after slicing through the defence only to be stopped by a great covering tackle.

Ionians wrapped up the game and the bonus point when Slingsby got his second try; the winger was the extra man as the host used a nice line out move to put Hague into space. They even had one more in them when they turned over ball in midfield and this time Oli Marns set up Ferguson to round off the scoring.

Five Star Fylde Down Hoppers

Fylde ran in five tries in the opening half hour to claim a bonus point win. Hoppers were blown away as the visitors scored all five tries in a breath taking 15 minutes of rugby from which Hoppers were unable to recover.

Once again Hoppers showed glimpses of the kind of rugby they can play but did not get out of the blocks quick enough and were a distant second for much of the game. There were some great rugby on display from the home side in the second half; the two tries scored were of the highest quality, one a team performance and the other a fine solo effort, but these moments of inspiration were few and far between.

With glorious sunshine providing great conditions for running rugby both sides looked to move the ball quickly in the opening minutes, but it was the visitor’s superior handling and direction that proved vital.

Alex Hurst got the score board ticking ten minutes into the match when he latched onto a well weighted kick through to touch down, Tom Barlow converted and was perfect with the boot throughout. Fylde doubled there lead after good work from a scrum in the Hoppers 22, when Alistair Atkinson and Laurie Smith combined well to take the visitor’s close and after Craig Aikman’s dart for the line was thwarted, Adam Lewis powered over from close range.

Nick Royle got the first of his two tries after Hoppers presented Fylde with a golden opportunity. Fylde moved the ball well through the hands from left to right and when Royle chipped through he had too much pace for the defence touching down unchallenged.

Jack Ward scored after Hoppers made a mess of a line out, there was more than a suggestion of crossing in the buildup but it went unnoticed by the referee and Royle grabbed his second after Ward interception a pass inside the Fylde 22 and once again the flying winger outpaced the defence to take Fylde in with a 35-0 lead.

Much to their credit Hoppers came out fighting and outscored the visitors in the second half by scoring two tries of their own to a solitary Fylde penalty. Hoppers rung the changes and they paid off as two replacements came off the bench to score.

First Sean Taylor was on hand to finish off a good move after Alex Zavallis-Roebuck and Tom Hughes combined well to break to Fylde line, Roebuck was only stopped by a good tackle but Hoppers recycled well and moved the ball quickly utilising the numbers and the space to put Taylor away in the corner. Tom Ball scored a fantastic solo effort, after picking up from a ruck and slicing his way through the defence with ease. However, it was too little too late but at least gave Hoppers players and fans something to smile about.

Hoppers can't tame the Lions

Hoppers continued their poor away form with their seventh successive loss on the road, again conceding points in the first two minutes and, by the time they discovered any sort of cohesion, the game was already lost.

Disappointed coach Alex Keay said: “Lions are one of the best sides in this league on their day and can do a lot of damage if you let them take the initiative. Our first half performance was poor but we did play more to our potential in the second half but it was all too little too late.”

With real pace and experience in the backs, ideal handling conditions suited the home side and, ominously, some slick handling allowed wing Alfeld to cross unopposed in the second minute. Hoppers then enjoyed a period of possession and pressure and stand-in scrum half Alex Zavallis-Roebuck threatened with a blindside break. But all too often, slow ball from the breakdown hampered attacks and when Lions again got their hands on the ball, former Hopper fly-half Boshoff’s well timed pass put in wing Collins on 12 minutes.

After a break by Luke Cunningham, supported by Tom Hughes, Nick Smith got his side on the scoreboard with a penalty but their cause was not helped when flanker Jordan Pearson was sin-binned in the 20th minute and Lions astutely changed tactics, two lineout drives producing tries for hooker Williamson and lock Soloman in the space of 5 minutes.

Hoppers managed to stem the flow of points and managed sporadic attacks but the pressure eventually told and the half was summed up when they were caught napping from a tap penalty and Alfred was in for his second. Full back Boden kept up his flawless kicking with his 5th conversion to make it 35-3 at the break.

Some strong words from Keay and a flurry of replacements at first did not seem to be making any difference as first replacement scrum half Walker sprinted through some slack defence and then centre Morris touched down within 8 minutes of the restart, the immaculate Boden adding the extras.

At last Hoppers found more aggression and urgency and, after some fierce exchanges, yellow cards reduced both sides to fourteen men after 55 minutes. This time it was Hoppers’ turn to profit as replacement wing Matt Hughes took advantage of his absent opposite number, gathering his own chip and chase to score wide out. He then completed a brace when he crossed again after good support play in which Phil Whyte and Pearson caught the eye.

Although the game was lost, Hoppers were keen to add more respectability to the score line but, despite some fast and furious play, neither side could add to their tally.

Hoppers remain in 11th place, with a 13-point cushion over the relegation zone and games in hand but will be keen to get more points in the bank from a difficult last six games starting with the visit of neighbours Fylde next Saturday.

Fylde retain Lancashire Cup

For the second year in a row Fylde were too strong for Hoppers and emerged victorious in the John Burgess Lancashire Cup Final. Hoppers were second best for most of the contest and were lucky to be in the game for as long as they were. While chances for the host were few and far between they can take pride in the effort given, especially in defence as they held out a rampaging Fylde.

Fylde dominated the majority of the game and the possession stats at half time must have been in the region of 90% to the visitors. This was helped by a stiff breeze but the visitors’ tactics were good and they used the elements to their advantage pinning Hoppers back deep into their own half for much of the half. They could, and probably should, have taken the lead on several occasions in the opening quarter. After being camped inside the Hoppers 22 for much of the time they wasted plenty of chances to take the lead as simple overlaps were not taken as players tried to muscle their way through the resolute Hoppers defence instead of using the numbers available. Hoppers themselves were guilty of not making more of their limited time in possession and were all too happy to kick the ball away and hand the incentive back to Fylde.

Eventually the persistent pressure took its toll on the Hoppers defence and Fylde got the first points of the game. The driving maul that Fylde had used to great effect throughout the game proved to be the catalyst and second row Alistair Atkinson emerged from a pile of bodies to claim the try.

Things went from bad to worse for Hoppers as they had Chris Stone sin binned, as he fell victim to the sheer number of penalties awarded in the home 22. Fylde went straight onto the attack and were rewarded with their second try as prop Alan Holmes picked up from a ruck close to the try line and powered his way over from close range.

Hoppers miraculously got themselves back into the game in controversial circumstances as they finally decided to keep the ball in hand and ran straight at the heart of the Fylde defence. When the ball was moved out to the wing Matt Hughes was felled by an illegal high tackle, which resulted in a yellow card for John Embleton but more surprisingly was the awarding of a penalty try. Hughes was clear and had support of team-mates, with little Fylde defence to speak of but the decision was queried by some sections of the crowd. Nick Smith slotted the conversion and the sides went into the break with Fylde leading 10-7.

Hoppers had more possession and territory in the second half but were not able to make an impression on the scoreboard. Credit must go to Fylde for some solid defence but people will be questioning some of the decision making as Hoppers turned down chances to kick for goal and opted instead to try their luck at line-outs and scrums against a far superior Fylde pack. The visitors held strong from several line-outs close to their try line and eventually managed to steal the ball and relieve all pressure.

Fylde managed to extend their lead midway through the half when Captain Sam Beaumont smashed his way over from close range after the visitors were camped on the Hoppers try line for several minutes.
Fylde were worthy winners and won in a manner much more convincingly than the score line suggests. They dominated the set piece and controlled the game in key areas on route to comfortably retaining the Cup.

Hoppers return to form

Hoppers’ put last week’s embarrassing defeat behind them, with a worthy win over relegation threatened Bradford & Bingley. This was a much improved performance that showed signs of the kind of rugby that made Hoppers a joy to watch earlier in the season.

The opening minutes, however, must have given players, coaches and fans alike a horrible sense of déjà vu as Hoppers’ gifted the visitors 14 points whilst again being unable to convert themselves.

Bradford & Bingley were seven points up in a blink of an eye as Hoppers surrendered possession on half way, due to some poor handling, and after Robert Almond kicked ahead, the visitors were able to win the ball and scrum half Mark Gemmell sneaked over from close range, Tom Davidson was successful with a simple conversion.

Hoppers closed the gap when Nick Smith converted a penalty but the home side again shot themselves in the foot and gave The Bees another simple score. After good work to snuff out a dangerous looking attack, Hoppers made a mess of the resulting five metre scrum and had the clearing kick charged down handing the scrum and the initiative to the visitors. After a solid scrum number 8 Tom Ball collected from the base and powered over, Davidson again converted.

On the half hour mark Smith added his second penalty to narrow the gap slightly and Hoppers began to wrestle control of the game. They were rewarded just before the half with a try, Tom Hughes great run set them up with a line out deep inside the 22. The pack then went for the catch and drive which the visitors had no answer for but to infringe, and even as Hoppers forwards were about to touchdown in the corner, referee Trevor Fisher awarded a penalty try making the resulting kick a whole lot easier and Smith made no mistake, taking Hoppers into the break trailing by just one point 13-14.

The Bees got the first points of the second half just minutes after the restart when Davidson slotted home a penalty but Hoppers continued where they had left of at the end of the first half and began to dominate.

Straight away Hoppers looked to run the ball at the visitors and again Hughes provided the catalyst, this time linking well with Matt Hughes to create space down the left and after great support work from a returning Marc Balshaw to keep the move going Scott Manning was able to cross and round off a superb move. Smith added the extras and Hoppers had the lead for the first time.

That lead was extended with little over ten minutes to play as again Hughes cut through the visiting defence with ease, this time from a scrum just outside the 22. Hughes had too much pace for his opposite number and scythed through the defence before releasing Owen McKenna with a well timed pass as the full back had joined the line at the opportune moment. Smith was successful with the conversion and a penalty minutes later.

Bradford & Bingley kept fighting however, and after Balshaw was shown a yellow card with under five minutes to play, they went all out looking for a bonus point. They got the try they were looking for when replacement Sam Hobbs crossed when the numbers game finally caught up to the home defence but missed out on a vital point as the conversion, in front of the posts, somehow sailed wide.