Category: News

Sale FC Beat Huddersfield to Keep Tigers At Bay

Chris Mayor Touches Down courtesy of Gareth Lyons https://twitter.com/gilyons

Yesterday Sale FC got the clean sweep at Heywood Road this season. Unbeaten at Heywood Road in the League we have now won 21 games in a row. Sale FC Rugby ran in five tries against a strong Huddersfield team at Heywood Rd in the sunshine.  This keeps Sale FC one point clear at the top of National 2 North despite Sedgley Tigers smashing now relegated Sheffield 75-14.  This means we need one win from the last two games.  The next game is away to Leicester Lions next Saturday where we will hopefully pick up the four points we will need (assuming Sedgley Tigers pick up another 5 points to finish the season with a bonus point in every single game).

There will be a full match report out Monday

Video Highlights here

 

The 16th Man

Sale FC Rugby TV are now a video explaining how much it means to the players to have the Minis and Juniors down to support them. Chris Mayor, Chris Johnson, Jack Moorhouse, Matt Bradley, Neil Briggs, Jonty Rawcliffe, Tom Ailes and Captain Andy Hughes all give us a taste of what it’s like for them to run out in front of a big crowd and the guard of honour.

 

 

Sale FC vs Huddersfield

Final Game at home

This Saturday we play Huddersfield in our final home game of the season. This closes out a remarkable couple of years at Heywood Rd with a change in attitude both on and off the pitch. Two seasons ago we were newly promoted into National 2 North, the fourth tier of Rugby in England. The first season in National 2 was a wake up call, we had arrived at a level we were unprepared for both on and off the pitch.  With relegation back to National 3 looking imminent, Jonathan Keep was appointed as Director of Rugby mid way through the season.  This brought about changes on the pitch which was matched by changes in the club house.

The appointment of Jonathan and the drive behind the scenes from volunteers and management at the club created more engagement with supporters and this has seen our M&J’s section becoming more involved in the club, with family days, social events and the now legendary guard of honour.  It has also seen our senior players coming down to M&J rugby, talking to the kids and getting involved with the club. This season also saw the introduction of Tricky The Mutt as a club mascot who has been a popular addition for the children, sponsors and the “grown ups” at the club.

The Suite @Sale was also developed to enable us to improve our offering to members and the public.  This was a major project taken to create a first class match day experience, as well as to create a 7 day a week club, where the local community and businesses can take advantage of a brilliant facility in the heart of Trafford.

A Season in Perspective

This season has also seen us perform on the pitch to a level Sale FC hasn’t been at since the 1990’s, with a remarkable stretch of 20 wins in a row. We last lost a league game at Heywood Road in December 2016.  We have conceded just 320 points this season (only Hinckley are anywhere near that with 493) and our Points Difference is an astonishing 586, (the nearest team is Tynedale on 342).

We have lost just two games but still we need to shake off Sedgley Park who have put up some remarkable stats themselves, where although they have lost 6 games they have managed 28 bonus points in 28 games!  We have one game in hand on Sedgley who lie behind us by 1 point in the league.

However, the last two weekends we have faced some stern challenges from Chester, nearly ruining our home record and Blaydon languishing near relegation leading us with 11 minutes to go until the ever reliable Dan Birchall managed to score a try to level it.  We know that the remaining fixtures will be tough, everyone wants to topple the league leaders.

#onesalefc

This season we also saw the birth of the hashtag #onesalefc. If you use social media, most of our posts will have this attached to it, the purpose is to demonstrate we are not a team but a club. We are striving to be the best club in the North of England, but this doesn’t just happen on the pitch.

For this reason, the Executive, the Players and all the Coaching staff would like to thank the Minis and Juniors section for driving this philosophy, being the 16th man on the pitch and generally making a racket at every home game.  Your support never goes unnoticed, your enthusiasm is infectious and you are the future of this ancient club. #onesalefc

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sale Leave It Late Again

Sale FC Stay Top

Trailing 17-5 at half time, Sale FC left it late to get five points.
It took Sale FC until the 70th minute to take the lead from Blaydon Rugby who are struggling just outside the relegation zone.

A brace of tries for Tom Ailes, yet another try from Dan Birchall (surely the most prolific try scoring prop in the league), one for ex M&J John Blanchard jr and a welcome return to the scoresheet for Matt ‘Simmo’ Simpson.  Coupled with more points off the boot of Chris Johnson, Sale FC still top the league with a one point lead over Sedgley Park. Sedgley again picked up 5 points with a huge display against Leicester Lions winning 50-29.

Assuming that Sedgley pick up five points in each of their last two games, Sale FC will need  9 in their last three games to ensure automatic promotion to the third tier of rugby.  With a home game against a strong Huddersfield team this weekend, then a trip to Leicester Lions who are always an awkward team to play, we then visit Luctonians in our re-sceduled match in May.  Luctonians have had a resurgence of form as they fight for survival in National 2 North.

Full match report here

Jerry Hits The Road

Walk Jerry Walk!

If you come down to Heywood Rd on a match day or visit Sale town centre on most days you will see a spritely 73 year old gentleman marching along bedecked in shorts with a smile on his face and a pleasant word for anyone he sees.

Jerry Carroll or “Our Jerry” as he is fondly known down at Sale Rugby is the gentleman in question.
Jerry attends all home games at Heywood Rd as well as Sale Sharks games at the AJ Bell with unlimited passion for his beloved team. Jerry is famous for his love of walking and come rain or shine he will lap the Heywood Rd pitch on numerous occasions again stopping along his way to chat to all and sundry.
Just by chance he was spotted on route by Matt Hulme, our U15s Captain, who was able to catch a ‘selfie’ with Jerry as he passed Brooklands Station. Despite having walked 16 miles Jerry was delighted to see a familiar face and his smile was there to see as it always is. 
Unfortunately, rules dictate that once the race has been underway for six hours, all roads are opened and marshalling ceases so Jerry had to board a bus to the finish. Jerry had completed over 21 of the 26 miles and was and still is adamant he would have completed the course in around seven hours. We have no doubt that would have made it too.
Jerry is one of the most dedicated supporters we have and although he’s proud of the team he supports, the reality is we are far more proud of his dedication to the club and the team than he could ever imagine. He is a a true gentleman and one who we are delighted and honoured to have behind the team and the club as a whole. Walk Jerry, Walk!