By Happy Knees
February 21 2023

Round 20 and fifth placed Plymouth Albion take on Bishops Stortford trailing by 2 places and 3 points in the league.

Albion will be looking to extend their mini-streak of wins to 4 which would represent their best sequence this season, whilst maintaining their current position. A loss would likely see them slipping back to 7th.

The previous meeting back in October ended 31-19 with a late try denying Albion a losing BP.

Last week saw the Blues end a streak of 5 without a win (although most of those were on the road), overcoming Leeds late on in the game with a narrow 17-14 victory.

Whilst only to places seperate the two sides in the League, ALbion have a much better scoring record and a better defence. This is magnified when considering how much Albion has improved this season, whilst it seems that Bishop's Stortford have lost form.

The referee, provisionally, Alan Chandrachud, could play a big part in the game. One of the more lenient referees in this league dishing out an average about 1 card per game however of his 15 cards 3 of them have gone to Stortford. Collectively, Bishop's Stortford have the poorest record, having accumulated 23 cards. In comparison Albion have picked up 13 yellows and 2 reds.

Albion now appear to be consistent throughout the game, perhaps being stronger in the first quarter, whilst BS are stronger in the second half.

Both sides pose similar threats to each other, with most tries coming from the front rows or the wings, however BS have a habit of letting fullbacks get through their lines. We can expect a battle between the forwards interspersed with some spreading of the ball out to the wings.

Whilst this could be a close game, based on position, current form suggests a different outcome. We can expect Albion to start strongly and build up a lead to defend going into the second half. Stortford will try and disrupt the game through ill-discipline but Albion should try and keep the referee on their side and let him take the appropriate action.

Player - Former Albion player Dan Powell - 6 tries to date and a regular at no 15. Will be looking to put one over on his old side.

Forecast - Overcast, but should remain dry. A moderate breeze will make it feel a bit chilly.

Prediction - Albion to win comfortably, but might have to fend off a late charge from Stortford.

Other games of note: Cinderford v Esher - a slip up by Albion would likely see Cinderford overtake them. Cambridge v Rams - A difficult game for Rams with a loss bringing that 4th place within reach of the chasing pack.

Round 20 - Albion v Bishop's Stortford

Discussion started by Unofficial Plymouth Albion (IP Logged), 21/02/2023 22:14

Unofficial Plymouth Albion
21/02/2023 22:14

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:02:22:13:38:09 by Igwok Dominus.

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Igwok Dominus
22/02/2023 13:37

Expecting Albion to win especially if they can maintain recent performance levels - but fear inconsistency could raise its ugly head again.

My body is a temple - I desecrate it every day

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Dewnansek
23/02/2023 00:25

Good write up. My prediction is for a narrow Albi win, but happy to be proven wrong on the upside.

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lobina
25/02/2023 11:47

Looking forward to a good high scoring game with an Albion win.

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Dewnansek
26/02/2023 07:46

Didn't quite go to plan!

Dust ourselves off and go again. 🏉

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lobina
27/02/2023 11:43

Probably the worst game of the season to watch, still much better then last year.

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