DERBY head coach Roxy Fearon says he had no worries about conceding home advantage to local rivals Burton in this weekend’s Midlands One play-off showdown.
The sides will meet at Peel Croft tomorrow (3pm) after finishing runners-up in their respective divisions.
Burton ensured a home tie by virtue of accumulating more points than Derby during the regular campaign.
But Fearon believes his players can emerge victorious away from their Haslams Lane base and clinch an immediate return to National Three Midlands
“I’ve got no fears about us playing away from home – and I don’t think any of the lads will have,” he said.
“We have performed consistently away all season and have picked up better results on the road than we have at home.
“It’s all about that siege mentality – everyone is against us, so we fight for each other.
“If we play like we can, Burton could be in for a bit of a shock.”
Fearon has strong links with Burton, which he will put to one side for 80 minutes – or more, if required.
“I played for Burton as a colt and in the first team – and I’ve got a lot of good friends there,” he said.
“So in some respects, it will be a strange occasion for me.
“I’ll have a beer with them afterwards but we want to win the game and I’m a Derby lad through and through now!”
A big crowd is expected, with a sizeable contingent of Derby fans set to make the short journey along the A38 into East Staffordshire.
“It can be a really intimidating atmosphere when there are a few hundred people there,” Fearon added.
“I’m sure there will be a big crowd this weekend and it will be a test for both sets of players.
“A lot of them won’t have played in a game this big before.”
For Derby, Jamie Twigg has suffered no ill effects following his return from a chest injury and is pushing for a start.
And Luke Frixou will be available, having passed up the chance to play for Cyprus in their European Nations Cup fixture in Bulgaria.
That will strengthen Derby in the forwards, where Fearon feels the game could be won.
“If we turn up and the forwards perform, I believe we can get enough ball and win the game,” he said.
“If we don’t do that, we could be in for a long day at the office as Burton have a good set of forwards.”
Fearon thinks the two teams are pretty evenly matched.
“My personal view is that our league is slightly stronger, with a bit more strength in depth,” he said.
“But that is of no relevance to Burton. They can only beat what’s in front of them and they fully deserve to be where they are.
“Lichfield were runaway winners of their division and Peterborough Lions did the same in ours.
“In the end, there was only three points between us and Burton.
“I don’t think there is much between us.”
Burton director of rugby Steve Smith says he has some “massive selection choices”.
Matt Tivey is back from injury but the form of Simon Bradley could see the latter retain his place, as could Dewi Williams, despite the potential availability of top points-scorer Dave Archer.
“We’ve got some good players who might not get in the final squad of 19,” said Smith.
“It will be hard for the lads coming in like Matt and Dave to play the whole match.
“But we want to win the game, so we’ll pick what we feel is the best team.”
Smith has scouted Derby already this season and knows their strengths but is also pleased that – like Burton – they are a club who promote homegrown players.
“A lot of our squad are from Burton and a lot of theirs are from Derby,” he said.
“Whatever the result, it’s nice to see two clubs who have stuck by their morals, not buying in lots of players from outside.
“And that’s a testament to Roxy (head coach Roxy Fearon) and (coach) Mark Bradley.
“I’m expecting them to be quite loose in attack, while we play with more structure, but we have some major, major ball carriers like Tivey, (Tom) Harris and (Liam) Hucknall.
“Tom actually used to play for Derby but then he saw the light!”
Smith played down the pressure factor, adding: “It’s just another game and that’s how the lads are treating it – it’s not the end of the world.
“We’ve got ourselves into a great position and this game is sort of a bonus – and being at home is another bonus.”
Article source: http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/19081/9245936/exeter-chiefs-to-sign-london-scottish-prop-tomas-francis
Rugby union: Derby ready to take on Burton in Midlands One play-off showdown
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