Fylde RFC's forward momentum as three pack men stay with the club

Second-rowers Matt Garrod and Olli Parkinson have signed up for 2020/21 alongside prop forward Elliot Horner.

Garrod (pictured) is still only 23 but has plenty of experience. A product of the club’s mini-juniors, the 6ft 6in lock made his senior debut back in 2016 and has made 71 National League appearances for Fylde, plus 11 more on loan at Preston Grasshoppers in 2016/17.

He captained Lancashire and North of England at junior levels, played for Sale Jets and moved into coaching at Lancaster University and Myerscough College.

Garrod said: “I’m really happy to have re-signed for such a prestigious club and to be a part of an exciting squad that Spraggy (head coach Warren Spragg) has assembled.”

Fellow lock Parkinson is another big presence in the lineout and has signed up for a fourth season at Fylde.

Having played for Sedgley Park, Rotherham Titans and Macclesfield before moving to the Woodlands, the 25-year-old has racked up 115 National League appearances, 63 of them for Fylde.

Parkinson has also represented North Under-18s, British Colleges and Sale Jets, and he said: “I had a bit of a frustrating season with injuries and, hopefully, the extra rest will have done me good.

“We have managed to keep the majority of our squad, which I think will help us push on and get that top spot.”

Following the retirement of Adam Lewis, Horner will have greater responsibility in the front row, having been an ever-present at loose-head in his impressive 2019/20 campaign.

Having joined the club the previous year following spells at Vale of Lune and Kirkby Lonsdale, Horner has made 45 first-team appearances.

He runs a craft brewery and played for Cumbria at various youth levels before representing Lancashire Under-20.

Spragg said of the trio: “Matt is a great role model for our mini and juniors section, moving from glass-collecting on matchdays into the first-team squad. He has matured into an important part of the team both on and off the pitch.

“Oli is a really important player for us, who brings a lot of physicality and fantastic work rate to the team, alongside his top quality aerial work. I hope he can get a good run without injury next season so we can see him at his best.

“Elliot is a great lad with a fantastic attitude to the game. He has worked really hard on his own development and is rightly ambitious about the future.”