Smith wary of Newbury bite
Sep 5 2008 By Roger Clarke
MOSELEY head off for cash-strapped Newbury tomorrow hoping to kick-start their National One campaign after a disappointing start last week against London Welsh at Billesley Common, losing 15-9 after gifting their full-time visitors two sloppy tries.
Newbury went into financial meltdown at the end of the last season with players shed to reduce wage bill and with eight losses in the last nine games relegation was avoided by the skin of their teeth.
The club may by in a wealthy enclave of Berkshire but it has needed much midnight oil and pruning to continue with an unfamiliar XV which lost 48-5 at Cornish Pirates last week.
The Blues are seen as the bookies’ favourites to go down and as one of the part-time teams left in National One are one of the teams Moseley will be looking at to provide a foundation of points for what could be leaner times against full-time outfits.
The Red and Blacks are boosted by the news that centre Jack Adams, who had to come off at half-time after being accidentally stamped on the wrist twice last week, is fit and skipper Neil Mason is expected to be back in the back row after being ill with a throat infection.
A worry for Moseley is that second-row Paul Arnold was not 100 per cent with similar symptoms against London Welsh and has been ill this week.
Newbury, meanwhile, can boast former Moseley and Stourbridge full-back Matt Williams as well as former Stour back row Scott Witcomb while centre Andy Reay returns to Moseley after a season with the Berkshire side.
But Moseley coach Ian Smith is not being fooled by talk of a team in turmoil. “Newbury will be very keen to put right what obviously did not go too well next week so they will definitely be a force and I would expect a reaction to that.
“Knowing Ben Sturnham, the coach, there as I do he will expect a reaction. You have to be careful not to rely on these things too heavily.
“If you are going to put 15-20 blokes out they are going to do a job. They are not going to say we haven’t got any money so we are not going to play. That is all in the past. They have regrouped and I think they will be quite dangerous.
“We have been looking at a few things we can improve on from the London Welsh, Mason is an influential player but he will have to perform, we have a fair number of people who are keen to get out there and be part of the team.
“There is a lot of competition and he is part of that competition.”
