Selection issues are crippling Spalding RFC’s season

It’s been a wretched season so far for Spalding RFC – and skipper Harry Sharman admits that it is tough to take any positives from last weekend’s 95-0 loss at Old Northamptonians.

That hammering made it ten Midlands One East defeats on the bounce for Town ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Paviors (2.15pm).

Selection issues hampered Spalding’s progress at ON (see report on page 52) – and Sharman concedes that the club just aren’t equipped to deal with the injury nightmare they’ve faced this season.

He said: “Obviously I’d look pretty stupid if I tried to paint a positive picture after a 95-0 loss.

“But we really were hit hard by unavailability. We’ve been missing key players pretty much every week this season and we just can’t handle it.

“A lot of players from the second side got a run out, but we’d ideally like to be blooding these guys in the strongest side possible, not throwing them in at the deep end.

“The lads didn’t give up and did what they could, so it’s hard to criticise them.”

On paper, Saturday’s visit of Paviors looks a winnable one for Town. The Nottinghamshire-based side are in the bottom four and have only won three times this season.

Sharman isn’t interested in making any bold predictions, but does remember a shock win over the same opposition a few years back.

He added: “Paviors are always strong, but have struggled a bit this year.

“I do remember ending a similar losing run against them a few years back when nobody expected us to win.

“At the end of the day it’s just 80 minutes of rugby, anything can happen. All we can ask is for the crowd to get behind us and for the lads the give it their all.”

Town hope to have key duo Tom Duerden and Sion Williams back in the fold, but Cyprus international Alex Ioannou looks set to miss out again.