Caldy RUFC coach Matt Holt hopes to get back in action against Harrogate

Jan 14 2009 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

CALDY coach Matt Holt hopes to bring a month of relative inaction to an end on Saturday, when his team are due to take on Harrogate at Paton Field, kick-off 2.15pm.

Since their last game against Kendal on December 20, Caldy’s first two games of 2009 have been cancelled due to the weather – against Darlington and, with the team on the bus on Saturday morning ready to head north, Hull Ionians.

Their frustration has been compounded by being forced to reign in their training programme to mainly indoor and gym work, again due to frozen pitches.

When you add in the fact that Nuneaton have been able to leapfrog the Wirral men at the top of National League Three North – due to playing a game since the new year – Holt believes his men will need no motivation to hit the (hopefully thawed) ground running at the weekend.

He said: “We ended 2008 with a good win against Kendal, and were able to enjoy Christmas, but since then it has been frustrating to say the least. The ground has been frozen all over it seems, so we have had to kick our heels.

“We stayed inside for most of that time – doing gym and fitness work mostly – so I think we are a bit stir crazy now and ready to get back out onto the pitch with the ball in hand.”

Holt revealed that the cancellation of the Hull game was a surprise, as they had been reassured it would go ahead all week.

He added: “They were telling us it had not been that cold and the pitch was playable, but on Saturday morning our director of rugby Tony Atherton had a call to say it was off. Apparently, it had been colder overnight and that was that, so we had a team breakfast instead. We were all on the bus ready to go when he was called, but despite everything, the spirit among the team is still very strong. Nuneaton have been able to go above us and the lads don’t like that one bit. We are all keen to get what we see is our rightful place back at the top of the league, starting on Saturday.”