Match preview V Barnes

Canterbury travel to West London on Saturday to meet third placed Barnes knowing that they have very rarely come second at the host club’s ground. Last season the game at Barn Elms ended in 20-20 draw and a squad buoyed by last week’s victory over Rochford Hundred will be looking to put in a strong performance. There are two selection changes with wing Guy Hilton returning after completing mandatory concussion protocols while front row man Eoin O’Donoghue joins Guy on the replacements bench.. This will be Eoin’s first team squad debut. Kick-off is 2.30 pm. The weather forecast for Barnes is light rain so supporters should come prepared as there is very little shelter at the ground. AT The Marine Travel Ground the Pilgrims take on Sidcup 2^nd, a side currently one place above them in Counties Kent 2, kick-off 3 pm, and on Sunday the Womens’ team are at home to Kent rivals Medway Ladies with a 2.30 pm kick-off. Unfortunately, the 3^rd team’s Kent Invicta league home fixture has been cancelled as opponents Beckenham cannot raise a side.

Head Coach Matt Corker writes: “Last Saturday, turning round at half time with a lead of 10 points to nil playing up the hill, we were in an identical situation to the game against Dorking. The growth in the team over the last few weeks really shone through in the next forty minutes and there were many positives that contributed to a strong win. The way we controlled the territorial battle and applied pressure through our kicking game was one of the biggest improvements. Another hallmark of a good performance was the composer that we showed after conceding two quick tries to narrow the scoreline. The team made a plan and stuck to it, and I feel you could see the clarity of purpose that this gave us.

Barnes are eight places above us in the table and have had some good wins in the first eight games but the important thing for us to focus on is that we are only separated by 10 points. Each weekend is an opportunity for us to climb the table but to do this we know our attention must be on getting better every week.”