Darlington Mowden Park 21, Fylde 18

DARLINGTON Mowden Park have back row men by the bucketload and if all are fit they will have to choose between four open side flankers for Saturday's trip to Harrogate.

In securing their much-needed win against Fylde, former England Under 18 player Aaron Myers started in the No 7 shirt and the Newcastle Academy coaches will be keen to see him get plenty of game time.

But as the current Falcons captain, Phil Dowson, discovered when he played for Mowden it can be difficult at 19 to make an impact against physically stronger National Three North opponents.

New Zealander Tony Begovich made an impression in Mowden's first two games and won't want to settle for second team rugby, while Phil Dawson and Scott Riddell are also out-and-out open sides.

Then there's Jason Smithson, Ed Williamson, Rob Fahrenheim, Ciaran McNicholas and Paul Vinnicombe all vying for back row places.

At 18st Vinnicombe can also do a job in the second row, as he showed on Saturday, although it left too much emphasis on Iain Robinson as Mowden struggled to secure their line-out ball.

Being spoilt for choice is usually dismissed as a nice problem to have, but Mowden know from past experience that progress is difficult without a reasonably settled side.

The team in recent seasons has rarely equalled the sum of its parts, and it was much the same against a moderate Fylde side as it was not until Smithson and Riddell went on for the last 25 minutes that Mowden nailed down victory.

They were trailing 10-8 but the replacements had an instant impact and after an initial drive by Smithson he off-loaded to Riddell, who burst away up the left. The ball was recycled several times before left winger Gareth Foreman stepped inside a tackle to go under the posts.

Fly half Jon Benson converted and added two penalties to secure the win, which lifted Mowden level with a Harrogate side they will fancy beating.

It remains to be seen whether Alex Tait will be fit after departing with a leg injury in the second half, to be replaced by Charlie Raynor.

There could be another selection dilemma at scrum half in choosing between Andy Foreman and Rob Stewart.

Foreman's sniping runs emphasised his strengths, but if Mowden aspire to create tries through an expansive game they need a better service. There again it could prove difficult without a settled pair of centres.

Centre is not Iain Dixon's best position, but given space he is always a threat, as he showed when creating a try just before half-time.

In a match which was scoreless for 35 minutes, an exchange of penalties was swiftly followed by Mowden counter-attacking from just outside their 22. Dixon burst down the middle and floated a long pass for left winger Chris Clark to score.

Clark had also done well earlier in retrieving a poor pass from Tait to burst up the left with Myers and Ross Batty in support. When the visiting No 8 killed the ball he was sin-binned, but having dominated the previous 20 minutes Mowden suddenly found themselves under pressure.

It took a heel against the head by Batty and an Andy Foreman break to get them out of trouble, and it was another strong scrummage which led to Benson's opening penalty.

Fylde quickly replied when Mowden charged down a drop goal but were then penalised for holding on.

The 8-3 half-time lead was overturned when lock Iain Robinson appeared at centre and his pass went astray, allowing Durham University winger Oliver Brennand to race 60 metres to score under the posts for Fylde.

Brennand was often a threat and very nearly got to the line in the last move of the match, but Mowden were safe by then and should be able to build on this deserved win.