Fylde welcome old North West friends and rivals Macclesfield to the Woodlands on Saturday (ko 15.00) for what will be, for different reasons, a very important match for both clubs.
Fylde continue their efforts to try to get into the top four clubs in National Three (North) whilst Macc are desperately attempting to avoid relegation.
Macclesfield have had a disappointing couple of seasons in the division following a superb 2004/5 when they finished runners-up and lost the promotion play-off game at Launceston.
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They finished 9th in 2005/6 & 2006/7 and in both seasons flirted with relegation before pulling themselves around.
This time it looks harder as they're in the third relegation place and battling furiously with Morley, one place below them in 13th place, and chasing a number of clubs including West Park and Bradford & Bingley who are four points in front.
Up to early November when Macc were roundly defeated 20-41 by Fylde in what was probably the Lancashire side's best attacking display of the season, they hadn't won a game and were anchored at the bottom of the table, looking certain relegation candidates.
However, following that defeat the team really started to improve and recorded seven wins in nine games including fine wins against promotion contenders Rugby Lions and Hull Ionians.
Losing at home to Tynedale by only 13-19 last Saturday showed how much the squad has developed since that black day in early November.
They pressed the outstanding league leaders hard and were rather unfortunate not to pull off a shock win.
Like Fylde, in October Macc jettisoned their head coach, former Fylde fly-half star Steve Burnage, who was in his second season at Priory Park, and replaced him with Steve Mannion.
He's assisted by forwards coach Andy Rice who is their long standing scrum-half.
Between them and the players they've made a real difference to their form and league record.
There's little doubt that they've missed skipper and highly influential former Manchester tighthead prop Rob Bieniasz who has missed most of the season with a back injury.
However, ex-Orrell skipper Matt Collie has provided expert cover.
The Macclesfield pack is a combative group of players featuring experienced performers such as lock/no 8 Jeremy Bostock, former Launceston lock Neil Keane, prop Ben Latham (ex-Manchester and Vale of Lune) and utility backrower Oliver Hewitt.
The fulcrum of their back line is former Orrell, Plymouth and Wakefield fly-half Ross Winney.
Apart from orchestrating Macc's attack he is a very competent goal kicker with 157 points to date this season, 4th in the N3N list of top scorers, ahead of Fylde's John Armstrong who is 7th with 134 points.
They each have a comparable success rate of 63 per cent.
One of the architects of Macc's near promotion achievement in 2004/5, New Zealander Mike Newell, returned to the Club in the late autumn but his appearances have been hampered by a prolonged knee injury.
He has been joined by fellow Kiwi, lock or no 8 Reubin Harvey.
Other influential backs are former Halifax centre Richard Hughes and Sale Jet's utility player Fergus Mulchrone.
Ex-Fylde fullback Phil Macey, who was a student at UCLan, had been having a good season until a serious knee injury a few weeks ago ruled him out of this campaign.
Fylde will check on skipper Roger Banks, who suffered a deep head cut against West Park last Saturday, and prop Darren Clark who also retired through injury at Red Rocks.
Centre Alex Hurst will be in the selection frame if his injured ankle has recovered, as will record try scorer Nick Royle who is expected to have overcome an arm injury.
This will give the rugby managers a pleasant selection headache in the backs amongst whom Lewis Boyd had a particularly good game as a replacement for Royle against West Park.
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