Westoe Weekend Preview
Apr
With the Durham Senior Cup in the trophy cabinet and promotion hopes in the bin, there remains a third target for Gareth Nesbit’s men.
That is to fulfill their avowed objective to end the season having won every game since the turn of the year.
It was made, as readers of this column will know, after the narrow defeat just before Christmas away from home against Kendal, who have already clinched the North One championship and so passage into National Three (North) with a superb all-win record.
The hope was that blanket victory would nudge second top Huddersfield aside and so steal the runners-up spot and with it a play-off chance of elevation into rugby’s elite.
It was not to be because while Westoe, at last free of a blight of injuries, have so far been true to their quest, the Yorkshiremen, equally to their credit, have matched them win for win and put themselves beyond reach with two points at Sheffield Tigers in the last game.
But Big Nes said: “We set out to win every game which was a very big haul. Now, from a psychological point of view, it is still hugely important that we achieve it to give ourselves a major confidence boost for next season.”
How piquant, then, that that Saturday’s visitors to Wood Terrace are Huddersfield, the more especially so because contests between the two teams in recent years have been fiercely fought and evenly-matched blood-and-thunder affairs.
The detonator was a fierce, blood-spilled clash in March, 2005, to effectively decide which of them would be North Two (East) champions, when Westoe, reduced to 14 men with three hospitalized, snatched a 10-9 victory in the dying seconds when prop Peter Tennet dived over.
Tomorrow’s encounter is the last home game of the season which ends next week when the Beacon Electrical (NE) Ltd-sponsored Shieldsmen complete the league programme at fifth-top Hull..
Said Nes: “They are two tough hurdles but we are as eager as ever to finish the season with a clean sheet for 2008. That is the target we set ourselves, and that included cup matches, and we have no intention of abandoning it now.”
He added: “We always seem to be fighting neck to neck with Huddersfield with never more than a place between us. They are always tight, hard games but those are the ones we enjoy and we are looking forward to it.”
For the record, Westoe have now won eight league and two cup matches in succession which is a truly splendid performance.
Danger man for the Tykes is fly half Chris Johnson, 21, who is aiming to take his personal points tally to 300 for the season. He is just 26 short with nine tries, 49 penalties, 29 conversions and eight drop goals to his credit.
He said this week: “Westoe are a good side and we knew it would be very hard to go up there if we still needed to win to ensure a play-off spot. But now that is guaranteed we can hopefully play more of an expansive game and run up some points..”
The game is being sponsored by Wesco Aircraft and the match ball by Mr Bill Dodds, ex-First XV player and club president.
*A reminder that half an hour before the 3pm kick-off the recently erected clubhouse veranda will be officially opened by Jocelyn Booker in memory of her father Alec Coxon, ex-Yorkshire and England fast bowler and South Shields professional and staunch Westoe supporter.
*After the first team’s tense trophy winning victory over Darlington on Saturday, cup final excitement is still very much in the air at Wood Terrace with Derek Tighe’s side travelling to Houghton-le-Spring to confront Blaydon aiming to - yet again - bring home the Durham Fourth Teams’ Shield.
As is now well known, that trophy has now resided in the Westoe clubhouse for six consecutive years as the well of superlatives has been drained by this serial success story.
“Historic”, “remarkable”, “amazing”, “epic” have all come and gone, and so Roget’s Thesaurus will again have to be hauled out if the saga continues.
Should it be won for the seventh time on the trot, one thing is certain: the name “Senators” will again figure in the inscription even though that proud team title was officially dropped at the start of the season when a dearth of veterans meant that young players including Colts had to be recruited.
