TIGER Tim Fourie takes his charges to Robin Hood country on Saturday in search of a win at Ireland Avenue.

Nottingham, who beat Sedgley 12-29 at Park Lane in just the second game of the season, currently sit comfortably in mid-table, with a Powergen National Trophy semi-final against Harlequins to look forward to.

In contrast bottom club Park are desperate to get a winning run going and will be heading to the Lace City intent on adding to the win they ground out at home to another midlands outfit, Coventry, on New Year's Eve.

So, although he will be going to Nottingham intent on leading his side to victory, Fourie knows it will not be easy.

"They will have more or less a full squad to choose from, although I hear former Sedgley player Paul Arnold will probably start on the bench," he said.

"They have a lot of pace throughout the side, right across the backline as well as in the back row, and they have half-backs who can get them into the right areas with their kicking game.

"I have always been a fan of theirs. They are nothing flash, but they have a great team spirit and they really graft for each other.

"Unlike, say Otley, they can play either 10-man rugby or swing it wide and play the 15-man game. If they get their tails up and you drop your head they can cut you to pieces.

"I respect teams that want to play rugby and they apply themselves every time they play, irrespective of who they are playing."

His gameplan is quite simple: "As far as we are concerned nothing changes," he said.

"We still need to play in the right areas, when we get the ball into those areas we then have to keep hold of it.

"Once we are within range we have to go through the phases and score, or pressure them into giving away penalties.

"When they have the ball it is imperative we put them under immense pressure in both the set-piece and loose.

"In particular their Number 8, Fitisemanu, makes big yards off the base of the scrum.

"He is not dynamic but he is big and powerful and we need to ensure he doesn't get the trundle on because he's hard to stop when he does.

"So we must stop their forwards and him in particular, at source, especially at the lineouts and in the scrums."

Park's ability to do that rests with team selection, and that has been affected by injury.

"Dave McCormack is out with the hamstring pull he picked up against Coventry, but it does give us the opportunity to start Jamie Albinson at 9," he explained.

"Also Ian Voortman is not available, he is in South Africa, so he will be replaced by Arno De Jager.

"In the forwards the only real doubt we have is Erik Lund, who injured a groin in training, so we will have to assess him on Thursday and see how he is. If he is not fit we will then have to look at our options."

But whoever wears the number 4 and 5 jerseys will have to front up.

"Our second rows have to step up their game. So far they have been disappointing as a unit, they have to do more outside the lineouts and scrums, they have to tackle and carry the ball much more."

With 12 games left, seven of them at home, it is important Sedgley add to that victory over Coventry last timeout if they are to climb away from the two relegation berths, and Nottingham away on Saturday would be a huge step forward.

"We have to get a winning momentum going," he declared.

"The only thing we have put together so far is a pretty impressive losing run. In fact, if we put a winning run together as good as the losing run we've had we'd be half way up the table!"