Sedgley Park -v- Pertemps Bees

11/12/2004 2.30PM

Park Lane, Manchester

Bees will welcome back winger Geoff Gregory for their trip to Manchester. Gregory was down the pecking order at Sharmans Cross but since Lenny Woodard has been released and Nick Baxter is still out injured, Geoff Gregory will get his chance to impress.

This is The Bees first trip to Sedgley Park and have somehow managed to avoid them in their rise up the leagues. With the sides having never met before, it will surely be an interesting game.

Both sides have had good wins against Coventry recently. Bees have had a poor November and December with the cup match at Coventry a pleasant blip. With a nearly full side available for the trip to the North, Bees will be hoping to gain another away win against a team that was widely tipped to go straight back down.

SP have had a tough time this season and looked very at awe for the first part. Recently though they have improved and eleventh place in the league shows some very good signs. They will however have to pick up some more points if they wish to remove themselves from the relegation battle.

Fresh from their excellent win at Coventry last weekend, the team to play is De Jager, Feeley, Naylor, Voortman, Welding, Feeney, Wilkinson, Du Plessis, Oxley, Thomas, Fourie, Lund, Senior, Ponton and Skurr. The replacements will be Keys, Lourens, Collie, Hall, Hassan, Glynn and McCormack

Bees will be boosted by the recovery of Jim Jenner. JJ was out for a long time leaving Bees inexperienced in the back row and his return will definitely sure up the defence.

Steve McCormack’s Preview:

Sedgley Park, buoyed by registering their third win of the season last weekend, welcome an out of sorts Pertemps Bees to Park Lane, a side who have lost their last four league matches and dropped rapidly down the table.

Both these sides have won at previously unbeaten Coventry in the last fortnight. Pertemps Bees in the Powergen Cup and Sedgley Park in the league meeting last Saturday, when Blair Feeney kicked two late penalty goals to give Park a one point victory. Sedgley Park have still won only one game at Park Lane in National One, but their five games have all been against teams in the top six in the league. As Pertemps Bees presently occupy seventh spot, technically this is their easiest home game of the season to date.

Although Pertemps Bees have accumulated 30 league points this season and look comfortable in mid table, they will be very disappointed to be beaten so easily by Exeter at Sharmans Cross Road on Saturday and will be worried by their poor recent form. They have won three of their six away league games, at bottom three Orrell, Henley and London Welsh and will be looking to add fourth bottom Sedgley Park to their list of successes.

This is the first league meeting between these sides and is probably the most difficult call of the day. Recent form may just see Sedgley Park through.

Steve's Prediction: Bees by four points

My prediction: SP 10-35 Bees

League Form Guide:

Pertemps Bees: wllwl

SP: lwllw

Comparisons:

Other Matches:

London Welsh		v		Plymouth Albion	14:15
Sedgley Park		v		Pertemps Bees	14:30
Nottingham		v		Orrell	14:30
Bedford		v		Coventry	15:00
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