Hadley USC Fighting for their top flight lives
Hadley USC may have been reluctant Flowfit Premier members once – but they're desperate to retain the status now.
The Telford outfit go into a winner takes all battle with ambitious Hanmer at Bicton desperate to keep their spot in the top flight.
Club chairman Phil King has just turned 51 and his ideal birthday gift doesn't take much figuring out. "Obviously the best thing for the club would be survival," he said. "There's a lot riding on it.
"We were one of the original members back in '94. A few years back we were struggling for players and decided we didn't want to to stay in the Premier and get hammered every week.
"It turned round when we got a bit of sponsorship money. We got back in the Premier – and we're fighting to stay there.
"We have played a couple of play-offs before, so we are used to the atmosphere and the pressure.
"We've just got to pick the best squad available and see what happens." That squad is a matter for debate with Hadley star Rob Burroughs available for this match after an absence of many weeks.
"I spoke to Rob on Tuesday night at the Mid-Shropshire meeting," added King. "He hasn't played for 10 or 11 weeks. I think he fell out with a couple of players, but it was mainly work commitments on Fridays."
And while King has no direct say in who plays, having stood down from the selection committee after a stint of a dozen or so years, he retains an influence – and would like to see Burroughs take the stage.
"I still have my say and have a little bit of an input," said King. "Some are good at dealing with big games, some thrive on it.
"In my opinion, if we have to pick our best 12 he would be in it. That's just my opinion.
"You can't leave a current county player out of a side. He loves a big game, he's played in a Crosfield Cup final – and there's no bigger game than that."
For their part, Welsh village club Hanmer will try to erase the agony of three years ago when they won a play-off against Hanwood only to be thrown out for inadvertently fielding an ineligible player.
Paul Hallott was a bona fide club member and featured regularly in a Hanmer side.
But he had played only once in the team that went on to contest the play-off and that was a breach of competition rules.
