New coach pleased with Darlington rout
Mowden's Cameron Henry Robinson tries to evade Old Albanian tacklers. Picture: Chris Booth - Credit: Archant
Old Albanian’s new head coach, James Shanahan, was pleased with what he saw in his first game back in charge of the club’s first team.
OAs shocked Darlington Mowden Park 51-19 on Saturday to give themselves a lifeline in their bid for survival.
Their five-point win at the Darlington Arena kept them within one point of relegation rivals Cinderford going to the final day of the season.
“I was pleased with last week’s win. I didn’t change massive amount from what Andy [Holloway, former head coach] had done. I just gave the players a bit of direction and changed a few things,” said Shanahan
“It was a good response from the players. It was just unfortunate that is was a week too late for Andy.”
The win has given the OAs camp a boost ahead of Saturday’s dramatic finale, with Shanahan saying they have everything to lose.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm around the camp,” he said. “A win like that over Darlington will give the lads confidence. As long as they don’t get too confident; Tynedale are a dangerous side and play good rugby.
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“They’re got nothing to lose and we’ve got everything to lose. The players need to apply the gameplan, like they did at Darlington, and execute it. If we do that, we should come away with five points.”
