Fitness worry as Coventry face Sedgley Park

RUGBY director Phil Maynard feels that it’s almost like being back at square one as Coventry end a month of National League One inactivity at the Butts Park Arena tomorrow against Sedgley Park.The freeze and a two-week holiday shutdown means this will be Cov’s first game since beating Otley 18-10 on December 11, while Park have been kicking their heels since November 20 when they lost at Tynedale.

And while Cov have kept up with their training programme and managed a Nighthawks game against Northampton Academy between Christmas and the new year, Maynard admits that a lack of match fitness is bound to play a part as his side attempt to overturn a 30-20 away defeat from the third week of the season.

“You’ve only got to look at the rugby on television last weekend – in many respects it looked like the start of the season all over again for some of the sides,” said Maynard.

“It’s going to be a difficult game for both teams and it’s almost like going back to basics for this week.

“We just have to concentrate on the things we can do well and try to recapture the momentum we had built up through winning four of our last five games.

“We’ve only missed the training sessions we were scheduled to miss over the holiday period so in that respect we have done quite well but there is a significant difference between training and playing.

“Experience will come into play and Sedgley have a fair bit of that in their side but hopefully with home advantage and the crowd behind us, it will click into place for us.”

Maynard can select from a full-strength squad with the only doubt over prop Tom Warren, who was ill at the start at the week and missed training on Tuesday.

Luke Beales is likely to take the loose head slot with Martin Kent and Dale Ager returning to the starting front row from the game against Otley and Jeff Gregson returning on the wing as Jon Lowdon switches to full-back.

Sedgley Park, who are currently two places below Cov in the table with a game in hand, were boosted this week by the arrival of former Cov second row Louis McGowan on loan from Rotherham.

Kick-off is 3pm.

Coventry: (probable) Lowdon; Harris, McDonald, Stevens, Gregson; Read or Richards, Audis; Beales, Ager, Kent, Herrington, Southern, Daynes, Nash, Pearson. Reps: Russell, Walls, Parkins, Price, Tibbatts.

Sedgley Park: Kelly; Nutt, Hurst, Wainwright, Dutton; Jones, Wilkinson; Birchill, Roberts, Flynn, Atkinson, McGowan, Oxley, Dew, Crous. Reps: Lewis, Woolley, Hall, Parrott, Birchall.