MATCH PREVIEW: MIDLANDS HURRICANES V ROCHDALE HORNETS (BETFRED LEAGUE ONE ROUND 14)

The Alexander Stadium

Canes welcome Hornets to Birmingham

As the Canes enter the two-thirds mark of the Betfred League One season, we welcome Rochdale Hornets to The Alexander Stadium in what will be our last home game for almost two months before we go on to host Keighley Cougars over the August Bank Holiday weekend (24 August).

Head Coach Mark Dunning will be looking for his men to bounce back from last week’s disappointing 12-13 defeat to Goole Vikings and turn around a couple of narrow defeats with an impressive and professional 80-minute performance. The Canes currently sit in third place with 15 points from a possible 22, behind second-placed Workington only on points difference. With league leaders North Wales facing Workington tomorrow, there is a possibility for Midlands to return to second place or to drop to fourth place depending on how other results go.

In terms of his 21-man squad, Mark has made only one change with youngster Marcus Green replaced by the returning new signing Brad Billsborough. There is also the possibility for two youngsters to hit their first milestones with the club, as both Aaron Willis and Tom Wilkinson are on course to make their 50th appearance in a Canes shirt if they are selected on Sunday.

Turning to our opponents, Rochdale Hornets have had mixed fortunes in the League and currently find themselves in sixth place with five wins from a possible ten. However, their very positive points difference shows that they are capable of producing extremely attractive rugby and will often lose narrowly should they find themselves on the wrong end of a result, and a win over the Canes would see truly back in the hunt of a Super 8s play-off spot. Mark, Leigh and the lads know the challenge of the task before them on Sunday, and are keen to right the wrongs of the last few weeks.

With respect to head-to-head clashes, the visitors fortunes over the Canes have historically been positive with Midlands last beating Rochdale at home in 2021 but running them close on a regular basis. However, our historic 10-22 away victory at the Crown Oil Arena less than half a dozen games ago has shown that Mark Dunning’s men are more than capable of turning up and putting the Hornets to the sword.

Today is your last chance to save money on ticket prices for tomorrow’s fixture, with prices to rise by £2 (£1 for U16s) for those paying on the gate tomorrow. Advanced ticket prices are:

£15 Adults
£12 Concessions (O65/17-21)
£7 Student
£1 U16

Tickets can be purchased HERE. We hope to see as many fans as possible to cheer on the Canes as they aim to bounce back and secure that eighth Betfred League One win. COME ON YOU CANES!

21-Man Squads:

Midlands Hurricanes (brought to you by www.enjoytravel.com)
1 - Todd Horner (Sponsored by Yorkshire Ceiling Services)
2 - Matty Chrimes (Sponsored by Lowry Recruitment)
3 - Ryan Johnson (Sponsored by Hull Wyke RL)
4 - Ross Oakes (Sponsored by Geoff and Maureen Hammond)
8 - Jon-Luke Kirby (C) (Sponsored by EJ Interiors Ltd)
9 - Danny Barcoe (Sponsored by St Katherine’s Carpets)
11 - Tom Wilkinson (Sponsored by JW Visual)
12 - Josh Jordan-Roberts (Sponsored by 39 Steps Consulting)
13 - Mikey Wood (Sponsored by MG Electrical Contractors)
14 - Aiden Roden (Sponsored by Enjoy Travel Group)
15 - Aaron Willis (Available to Sponsor)
16 - Ellis Hobson (Sponsored by GLLEE UK Ltd)
18 - Zeus Silk (Sponsored by This is Warrior)
20 - Elliot Morris (Sponsored by GLR Energy Ltd)
21 - Sully Medforth (Sponsored by Ideal Building Systems)
24 - Matty Hanley (Sponsored by JGE Wholesale)
25 - Luis Roberts (Sponsored by Crypto Construction)
26 - Ethan Newboult (Sponsored by Leeds Rugby Club)
27 - Liam Kirk (Sponsored by The Tennis Court)
32 - Chris Cullimore (Sponsored by Autex Acoustics)
00 - Brad Billsborough (Available to Sponsor)

Rochdale Hornets
1 - Gregg McNally
2 - Dan Nixon
5 - Luke Forber
6 - Martyn Ridyard
7 - Lewis Else
10 - Luke Nelmes
12 - Duane Straugheir
13 - Emmerson Whittel
14 - Max Flanagan
16 - Jordan Andrade
17 - Ben Killan
18 - Jaden Dayes
20 - Tom Ashton
22 - Jack Derbyshire
23 - Morgan Punchard
28 - Jack Miller
33 - Darcy Simpson
34 - Elijah Simpson
35 - Joe Lowe
36 - Ross Whitmore
00 - Ben Forster (Dual-Registration - Oldham)

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