Fylde welcome Broughton Park to the Woodlands on Thursday, 19th March, for a Lancashire Cup semi-final (ko 19.30) to be played under floodlights. This will be treated as a 1st team match. Please note that as by the regulations of the competition it will be an 'all pay' match, £2.00 entrance.

Broughton Park is one of Fylde's oldest opponents. Indeed, the embryonic Fylde club’s first fixture list in season 1919/20 included Broughton Park ‘A’. The Manchester club has been peripatetic in the City, having no fewer than fourteen different grounds, mainly in the Salford & Prestwich areas before settling in Chorlton in South Manchester in 2004.

Park has produced a host of internationals and county players in its 127 years. In living memory, the production line has included Tony Neary, (former England Captain & British Lion), Kevin O'Brien (Ireland, Barbarians and Rest of the World), England internationals Barry Jackson, Mike Leadbetter & Tony Bond, and the legendary former England Coach & President of the RFU, the late John Burgess. O’Brien is still a driving force at the Club as Director of Rugby.

Fylde & Broughton Park were both in National League Three in the early 1990s before Park slipped down the RFU league structure during the early years of professionalism. They dropped to the South Lancs & Cheshire League a few seasons ago but are on the up again and have moved up to North Two (West), level 6 in the RFU structure, two below their hosts on Thursday evening.

One connection between the two clubs is Park’s current forwards coach Mark Lloyd who, as a powerful Lancashire prop forward, moved from Park to the Woodlands for a spell before returning to the fold.

Park have never won the Lancashire Cup but they have appeared in three finals, most recently back in 1988/9. Fylde hasn’t had too glorious a history in this competition either. Of all the senior Lancashire clubs it has the worst record. The only occasion they’ve been successful in the 36 years of the Cup is back in 1994/5 under the leadership of Brendan Hanavan when they beat Manchester by 15-11 courtesy of tries by Greg Anderton and Ian Ashton, with a conversion and dropped goal by Ian Barclay. They’ve been finalists on two other occasions, most recently in 2002 when they were roundly beaten by Sedgley Park. In the last few years they’ve bowed to the pressures of national league rugby and have fielded mixed teams of 1st & 2nd team players in the competition. Will they reach their 4th Final this season?  

Park are currently in 9th place in a division which includes other famous clubs such as Liverpool St. Helens & New Brighton. They have a number of influential Irish players in their ranks, including Kevin O’Brien’s son Ronan, like his father a talented fullback and goal kicker. Mike Kinsella & Pat Hurley are dangerous backs. Park have always had tough packs and the current one is no exception. Big men such as Mark Poole and John Clifford are aggressive ball carriers and can create real damage. Fylde will have to work very hard this evening of they are to earn a place in the Final alongside Preston Grasshoppers.

The Fylde team includes a 1st team debutant, big Joe Birtwistle, a youngster who has trained assiduously with the squad for many seasons before becoming a Wanderers regular and now getting his chance at a senior level. With eight of the starting line-up 1st team regulars and three more on the bench, the Club is taking the Cup very seriously.

Both clubs have named their squads: