This Saturday, we welcome our old friends, Birkenhead Park, to Rivacre Road.
“Park” is a well-established club who can trace their origins to the nineteenth century and, in their heyday, had a fixture list that was nationwide. In recent years, they have alternated between levels 5 and 6 of the RFU league structure.
In 2014-15, they were North One West champions but were relegated from the, then, National League 3 the following season. In 2016-17, they were promoted again, having finished second to Kirkby Lonsdale. However, they finished 12th last season, and as the only north-west club in the bottom three, with Morley and Pocklington, they began this season in North One West.
Birkenhead Park are currently eighth, having won six and lost five games. They lost their first game of the season at home to Warrington, but successive one point wins against Waterloo and Northwich and impressive, high-scoring wins against De La Salle and Burnage saw them march up the table. A shock defeat, 5-52, at against Broughton Park a fortnight ago was followed by a loss at home, 18-27, to league leaders Carlisle last week.
Connections between Malone Field and the Upper Park are as old as Anselmians itself and numerous players across the decades have represented both sides. Years ago, the route for promising and ambitious players was to start at a “junior” club and then transfer to a “senior” club. In the Wirral, that meant New Brighton or Birkenhead Park. In the professional era, the distinction has been blurred and this is the first encounter between the two sides at a league level.
Saints need to erase the memory of defeat in the Isle of Man two weeks ago and recreate the valiant spirit they showed, in patches, against Broughton Park last week. Many old supporters and players would dearly like Anselmians’ revival to start against a club with whom we have such close ties.
It promises to be a keenly fought game.