Match Preview

Houghton RUFC take on top of the table Redcar in Durham Northumberland Two this Saturday.

Last week saw a positive boost for Houghton as they secured their second win of the season (15-14) against Winlaton Vulcans.

After a point filling first half, with two converted tries for the visitors and three tries from Marc Willey, the visitors came back with a vengeance in the second half.

Houghton kept their nerves at bay and closed down several chances for the visitors. The true intensity shone through when the Vulcans parked themselves in the hosts 22 in the last ten minutes and Houghton held them off for the win.

Director of Rugby, Chris Simpson said: “It was nice to finally get a win and one that we deserved.

“The lads have been working hard and Saturday saw our best front five performance of the season.”

This week has seen the beginning of a new project in the senior section- ‘bring a friend’ to training. An improvement in numbers at training has helped them work on contact skills and decision making ready for this Saturday.

In the last clash with Redcar, Houghton suffered one of their bigger loses (44-13). The visitors went in hard, holding off the top table team for the first 18 minutes. Despite their efforts, Houghton suffered their own errors and a lack of chance taking meant a lack of point scoring.

Since, Redcar have sustained their top table form with seven wins and only three defeats. Redcar will also be visiting Dairy Lane on a high after a heavy (83-5) victory over Ashington last week.

The match will take place at Dairy Lane, 2.15pm kick off.

By Clarissa Murphy