Coventry -v- Pertemps Bees

5/02/2005

Butts Arena, Coventry

Bees will be looking to build on the second half of their last match at the Butts Arena, when they won in the Powergen Cup coming back from a huge deficit to be the first team to beat Coventry at the Butts.

This time it will be in the league when a re-arranged game from Christmas will see these local rivals fight for supremacy. Bees have won the last three matches between the two sides, but Coventry are unbeaten in five matches.

Bees on the other hand, have struggled for form a little, although a good win against lowly Orrell helped to steady the ship.

On Saturday they will be without captain Ed Orgee who has discovered that he requires rest on some ligament damage. Captain Marvel is expected to be unavailable for anything upto six weeks, which is nearly the end of the season.

Steve McCormack’s Preview:

Postponed from Christmas, Coventry look to increase their run of victories to six, when they entertain Midlands rivals Pertemps Bees at the Butts Arena on Saturday.

Coventry recorded their fifth league win in succession on Saturday in a high scoring 43-33 match at London Welsh. They overtook Pertemps Bees as a result and are now eighth in the division, only six points behind fourth placed Otley with a game in hand.

They are unbeaten in 2005 and have still only lost one home league match, to Sedgley Park, at the Butts Arena.

Pertemps Bees lost 17-6 at Otley on Saturday, which was a reasonable result. They drop to ninth position, four points behind Coventry. They have lost their early season form recently and have only won three matches, all against the bottom three teams at home, from their last 10 matches played. They have played nine away matches this season and won three, again at the homes of bottom three Orrell, London Welsh and Henley.

Although Sedgley Park are the only team to win at Coventry in a league match this season, Pertemps Bees were actually the first team to inflict a defeat against them at the Butts Arena, doing so in the Powergen Cup. These teams have met eight times in the league since 2000 and Coventry won the first five and Pertemps Bees the last three. Coventry are the form team of the two at the moment, and should break the current run the Bees are enjoying against them.

Steve's Prediction: Coventry by 10

My prediction: Coventry 32-8 Bees

Form Guide:

Pertemps Bees: w l w w l

Coventry: w w w w w

Comparisons:

Other Match:

Exeter –v- Bristol 3pm

Next Week:

Solihull –v- Worcester Wanderers in the semi final of the Powergen Junior Vase

Sharmans Cross Road

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