The second team travel down the M60 again on Saturday to face Burnage in their final away match of the season. Hoppers are unbeaten on the road in nearly 12 months but have seen their advantage at the top of the Bateman Premier League eroded as a result of some farcical Easter results.
Young’s men enjoyed a comfortable 48-20 victory over Chester in a game that was lit up by the adventurous young talent wearing the blue and white.
However Macclesfield’s bizarre 133 point humiliation of Burnage and their 73 point drubbing of Sedgley Park saw the men from Priory Lane take top spot in Conference A.
As a result the champions have three games in which to overturn a massive looking points difference or hope that Fylde or Caldy can do them a favour. Hoppers will keep fighting until the very last moment of the league campaign however and given the fluctuating nature of the league they know that they still have a realistic chance of retaining their title.
Preston send a young side although it is difficult to predict what kind of opposition they will face. Just a few weeks ago a determined Burnage side, boosted by several first team players, ran Young’s men very close in a Raging Bull Cup semi final. Yet given last week’s capitulation against Macclesfield Young’s tyros travel south full of confidence.
Meet time is 12.30 at Lightfoot Lane or 1.30 at Burnage in readiness for a 3.00pm kick off. The squad in full is as follows:
Mabaya
Gale C
McGuiness
Doney
Fletcher
McGuire
Webster
Proctor
Moulding
Purnell
Elliott
Reddick
Grimes T
Birchall
Murray M
Reps: Jones, Horsfall, Yates
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