Round 13: Albion vs Darlington Mowden Park

Another weekend where it seems imperative that a victory is secured against a side placed toward the lower end of the table. 

The opposition in this case are Darlington Mowden Park who lie 4 places and six points above Albion.

Darlington also had a poor start losing 5 on the trot, but unlike Albion they have put together some good results including an away win against 3rd placed Chinnor.

Expect a frenetic opening to the game. DMP have scored a large proportion of their points in the first 20 minutes, but equally have conceded a similar amount, it appears that they will also take points if offered. This period is not Albion's best as they have also conceded a larger proportion of points, but scored relatively little.

DMPs tries have come equally from forwards and backs, although the front row has claimed 9 of their 32 tries to date. 

In terms of discipline Darlington have one of the better records having collected 8 cards - Alion have 12, the worst of the league.

Clearly DMP are not the force they were a couple of years ago when they were pushing for promotion, but they do pose a threat. Albion will need to pick up their game to overcome them, but this they must do to move away from the bottom of the table.

Weather - light showers before and during the game may make the ball a little slippery, it will be cold with a fresh breeze with strong gusts to make the kickers tasks a bit of a challenge.

Prediction - based on current form a win for the visitors. If Albion can play at theier best and contain Darlington in their own half, opportunity beckons.