Edwards is wary of Barking as Redruth return to home comforts

Redruth are back at home for the first time in 2013, but director of rugby Adrian Edwards believes National League Two South's bottom club Barking are more than capable of upsetting their long-awaited homecoming.

The Reds played Camborne at the Recreation Ground on Boxing Day in the Rodda's Milk Cup, but their last league game on home soil was on December 15 against Clifton.

Since then, their derby date with the Cornish All Blacks was cancelled when Polson Bridge flooded three days before Christmas.

Their fixture against Rugby Lions, originally scheduled for the weekend before last, was scrapped when the Lions pulled out of the league at the start of the season. The Reds' return to league action was marked with a 26-3 away win over Bournemouth last weekend – a great result in the circumstances, according to Edwards.

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He said: "Considering the break that we have had and the difficulties of going to Bournemouth – they can be a very difficult team – it was as good a result as we've had.

"We defended well when we had to, they threw a lot at us. Our set piece was good even though we were missing Luke Collins, Tom Duncan and a few others. Everyone was very relieved to get a result away from home and play to the level we did.

"It's probably been a good five weeks now since we had a league game at home, other than the Boxing Day game against Camborne in the Milk Cup. It's good for everyone and the club – the players are looking forward to a home run-out as well."

Back-row forward Tom Duncan will be missing again. The Cornish Pirates man will feature in the British and Irish Cup against Carmarthen Quins before resuming his loan arrangement with Redruth over the coming weeks.

Edwards is waiting on the fitness of hooker Richard Brown and lock Luke Collins before naming his side for the weekend.

He said: "Richard Brown may be unavailable due to an ankle injury last week but Neil Turner has been involved all season and would have no problems starting. Luke Collins will more than likely be back from his injury, but we are not too sure whether he will start, or be on the bench.

"We will be without Tom again this weekend, but like last week, someone else gets a chance. We had 17-year-old Jake Rayment, who got in the second row. That's what we have been about this season.

"Everybody else is available at the moment and we will select from the strongest possible squad."

There is certainly no chance of Redruth taking the league's bottom side lightly. Barking earned their first win of the season last weekend, a 36-24 victory over Chinnor.

Edwards also remembers how well Barking played in their encounter earlier this season, which Redruth won 51-23 at the Rec.

Edwards said: "This is the weekly challenge we always talk about – they are going to offer something different. They are going to be on a high and last season they scored a few tries against us last time. They got a bonus point, they can really play good rugby.

"Now they have to come to us and we have to concentrate on our own performance. We will not be taking them any differently to Henley, Hartpury or anyone else.

"We need to be aware of them but we have to take in the same attitude that we had last week. They are going to have to play exceptionally well to beat us. We just have to produce our best form every week and, if it is enough, it is."