Stafford Marvels unbeaten start to 2025 came to a stodgy end as they found it hard Going in the Derbyshire mud. The Marvels never recovered from a couple of early tries with their hosts making better use of the horrible conditions to notch up a 24-7 victory.

The Stafford side once again demonstrated their united team approach with a 19 strong squad making the trip. Unfortunately, the withdrawal of the reliable Simon MacDonald meant a late reshuffle which saw Reuben Sutton starting in the unfamiliar position of full back. Damian Godwin came onto the bench for his debut and Zack Pressland returned to his hooking duties - although the visitors had to make do without their talismanic ‘captains’, Simon Lewis and Matt Smith - just two of several ‘regulars’ unavailable for the game.

Conditions dictated this was always going to be a game for the forwards with a slippery ball and treacherous surface spoiling any chance of more creative backs play. The visitors unfortunately found themselves 12-0 behind with less than ten minutes gone on the clock - the scoreline possibly flattered Derby as the opening exchanges had been fairly balanced. But driven on by passionate support from the sidelines and bench, the Marvels dug in for what would turn out to be an attritional, forward orientated affair - epitomised by Duncan Howe playing on despite a suspected fracture to his hand. It was Howe who played a leading role in the fight back as he crashed into the opposition to present the ball outside the 22. Centre Tim Woolman then took up the reins - and took out a couple of opposition players - as he drove Stafford further forward until the ball was popped up to Pete Mills who stepped one tackler and shrugged off a couple more to score under the posts. Pressland continued his fine form with the boot this season to add the extras and reduce deficit to 12-7. Unfortunately, Derby were to score again before the break and with conditions deteriorating rapidly the writing was on the wall for Stafford. If the mud bath of a pitch was not enough, the flow of the game was also punctuated by several injuries to Derby players, and the visitors were not getting the rub of the green as the penalty count against them added up. It was this triple combination that served to keep them embedded in their own half for much of the remaining 30 minutes.

But the Marvels were never going to make it easy for their opponents – especially with vocal captain Matty Hickman and player-coach James Van Nijkerk ensuring no heads were to drop as they took the fight to their hosts. Fly half Steve Fairhurst tried to grab the game by the scruff of the neck as he looked for openings with ball in hand - but this was not a game for the backs and his industrious centres - Woolman and Jack West had to be content doing most of their best work in defence. The hosts could have gone further ahead but for the exceptional work from Sutton under the high ball and regularly thwarting the Derby back line with a series of tackles. And when the home side thought they had eluded him, winger James Hughes was on hand to deny them further scores. Sutton was also linking up cleverly with Harrison MacDonald on the other wing, who time and again tested the Derby defence when he got the chance to run with the ball. The game could have swung the Marvels way when Phil Nolan crashed through several tackles and saw daylight as he headed for the try line only for the referee to call the play back. Adam Bixter was also putting in his best performance in a Marvels shirt - breaking tackles with impunity and making several metres throughout the game. When Derby were in possession they were treated to the full might of Number 8, Matt Powell, smashing the ball out their hands alongside props, Mike Bennett and Nick Frost. And West and Powell combined for a crunching try saving tackle five metres out. The forwards powerful display was not only confined to open play - they also won every single line out in the match. And the introduction of impressive debutant Godwin was another highlight as he carried relentlessly in the Derbyshire mud. Stafford ended the game strongly but a fumble on the line brought things to a close and a 24-7 victory for Derby.