FYLDE visit Darlington's Blackwell Meadows ground on Saturday (3pm) looking for their third away league win and a seventh successive victory in National Three (North).
Fylde can expect a highly competitive challenge from the well drilled, gutsy and organised squad.
Although Darlington have only notched up two league wins and a draw to date and sit in ninth position in the table, they've lost a number of games by only a few points.
Fylde's physio, Angela Daniel, will be working overtime on a growing number of injuries this week.
Greg Anderton (neck) and Paul Newton (knee) have missed several matches, prop Neil Hilton (back) pulled out of the Blaydon game on Friday while Michael Vermaak (hip), skipper Mike Scott (back) and Dylan O'Grady were struggling and/or replaced during the match against Blaydon on Saturday.
Two tries from flanker Quentin King took the headlines in that 32-3 victory, but the consistent Kiwi was the first to admit that the victory was the result of a good team effort.
It was far from straightforward for the home side, not helped by first choice loosehead prop forward Neil Hilton dropping out the side before kick-off and being replaced by loyal clubman Steve Ellis.
Blaydon took the game by the scruff of the neck from the kick-off and neutral would have thought that the men in red were the team in fourth place.
Dan Clappison's penalty kick on two minutes was scant reward for their initial dominance.
Fylde hit back with a Mike Scott penalty after 12 minutes but it wasn't until the half-hour mark that they put together anything like a convincing period of continuity and fluency. On 30 minutes Fylde when. Richard Kenyon read a Scott grubber kick to grab a try, converted by Scott.
A converted King try and a Scott penalty made it 20-3 at the break.
Sixteen minutes into the second period King broke off the side of the maul and plunged into the left corner for his second try and fourth in three weeks.
Injury forced Scott and Michael Vermaak off, affecting Fylde's fluency, but in injury time Blaydon's backs spilled the ball in midfield and replacement fly-half Martin Wallwork picked it up smartly and sprinted downfield for a 50 yard try and Fylde's first four try bonus of the season. Paul Green converted well.
Coach Stuart Connell said: "We were lacklustre in the opening 30 minutes. But, given the absence of one or two players from the starting line-up and the injuries suffered during the game, I was pleased with the last 50 minutes."
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