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It
was tough!! It was tight!! It was tense!! And in the end only a
single point separated the teams. So many times this season Lions have
suffered agonising defeats by the narrowest of margins, but at last
things went right for them today as they deservedly celebrated the win
that they so desperately needed to keep their hopes alive of staying in
National Division 3 North.
After
the poor display at Darlington, Glenn Bond reverted to fullback, with
Tim Douglas and Andrew Kaminsa coming in on the wings. Following his
baptism of fire, Tommy Turner retained the fly half spot, with James
Cooper coming in to partner him at scrum half. Simon Hepher passed a
late fitness test on the thumb that he dislocated at Darlington to take
his place in the second row. In the back row, Lions went for the
experienced trio of Mark Ellis, Danny Collins, and Paul Thompson. Glen
Carson, Kelvin Todd, Wilf Barclay, and Ricky Hyslop were the bums on the
bench.
Lions
started the game playing into a stiff breeze, but soon showed their
intent with some good forward play and a lovely Tommy Turner kick to the
corner that had the Blaydon defence scrambling the ball into touch.
Blaydon knocked on at the lineout, and when Lions were awarded a free
kick at the resultant scrum, the forwards drove in but were held on the
line. Another Lions’ scrum, and this time a well-worked move by the
back row gave Tommy Turner the room to ghost round his man and dive
over. Glenn Bond’s conversion drifted wide in the strong breeze. ( 5 –
0 )
Lions
could not gather possession from the kick off, and with Blaydon looking
to get a score back immediately, tremendous defensive work by Tristan
Wati drove them back. However, Lions strayed offside in trying to repel
another attack, and Richard Windle converted the simple penalty from in
front of the posts. ( 5 – 3 )
Lions
almost extended their lead with some lovely Rugby as Danny Collins set
up the position with a deft chip and regather. As the Blaydon defence
was sucked in, the ball was moved wide, but Ella cut back inside when a
pass to the supporting Simon Hepher would have been a better option.
The cover was there is force to halt the move, but as the ball was moved
back cross-field, Blaydon were penalised and Glenn Bond converted the
straight kick from the 22. ( 8 – 3 )
Blaydon’s hooker Mathew Hall retired with a blood injury to be replaced
by Philip Ritson. Lions were soon on the attack again as James Hunt
broke down the centre of the park from a lovely Tommy Turner pass.
Again Blaydon were penalised in stopping the attack, and again Glenn
Bond made no mistake with his kick from the 22. ( 11 – 3 )
With
hooker Mathew Hall returning to the fray, Lions again failed to secure
the kick-off ball, but this time with dire consequences. A powerful run
by lock Christopher Stewart blasted a hole in the Lions’ defence, and
there was fly half Andrew Kahn to pick up and sprint over by the posts.
Richard Windle converted to put Blaydon right back in contention. ( 11
– 10 )
Christopher Stewart tried another midfield dash, but this time little
Ella hit him like an exocet missile to knock the big number 5 back in
his tracks. Unfortunately Ella was deemed to have launched himself from
an offside position, and Richard Windle’s kick gave Blaydon the lead for
the first time. ( 11 – 13 )
Glenn
Bond had an opportunity to restore Lions’ lead, but his 35 metres kick
was held up in the swirling breeze and fell just under the bar. Tim
Douglas featured in the closing plays of the first half, with an immense
clearance into the breeze following a long Blaydon kick. Then the wing
was given some space following good hands across the line, but he was
bundled into touch on the 22.
Half Time
Lions 11 Blaydon 13
With
Phil Greenbury suffering a blood injury, Kelvin Todd started the second
half. Lions needed another good start, and they got one as James Hunt
charged down a Blaydon kick on half way, but the ball just wouldn’t sit
up for him to take. Instead the centre dribbled the ball forward, and
managed to secure possession. As the ball was laid back, Blaydon centre
Robert Windle picked it up from an offside position with a Lions’ score
looking imminent, and was promptly despatched to the bin.
Lions
opted for the close-in scrum, but excellent defensive work by Blaydon
kept Lions at bay. Lions would not be denied, and after a storming run
by Matt Davies, lovely sleight of hand by Simon Hepher gave Paul
Thompson just enough room to crash over in the clubhouse corner. Glenn
Bond’s touchline conversion came back off a post. ( 16 – 13 ) Click
here to view video
Blaydon’s Robert Windle returned after his spell in the bin, as Ricky
Hyslop replaced Tim Douglas, with Matt Goode moving to the wing to
accommodate the centre. Glen Carson came on for Mark Ellis, who could
reflect on a job well done. It was end-to-end stuff now, as another
Glenn Bond penalty from 40 metres drifted tantalisingly wide. Back
swept Blaydon, and from a close in scrum, they worked the short side
well to send wing Simon Barber crashing over in the corner. Richard
Windle’s conversion was wide. ( 16 – 18 )
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With
10 minutes left to make up the deficit, Lions brought Wilf Barclay on
for Danny Collins. Try as they might, Lions just could not find a way
through a stubborn Blaydon defence. With the clock ticking down to 40
minutes, Lions won an attacking lineout and the drive was on. Blaydon
were deemed to have stopped the advancing maul illegally, and Lions were
awarded a penalty 22 metres out. It was the sort of kick that Glenn
Bond would normally get with ease, but this was no ordinary kick. The
pressure on the young fullback’s shoulders was immense with Lions’
future in National Division 3 resting on the kick. A deathly hush
descended on Webb Ellis Road, and Glenn admitted that a certain orifice
of his was going through involuntary spasms as he lined up the kick.
But the fullback kept his nerve, and the silence was shattered by a roar
as his kick sailed between the posts to put Lions back in front. ( 19 –
18 )
Lions
now had to defend their slender lead for a further 5 minutes of added
time. The defence repelled several strong Blaydon attacks, and powerful
runs by Andrew Kaminsa and Glen Carson relieved some of the pressure.
Glen’s boot came off during his charge, and was promptly thrown out of
the ground by one of the Blaydon players…….desperate stuff indeed!!
With Glen sporting a replacement pair of boots, Blaydon clawed their way
into the Lions’ half and had an attacking lineout. Surely Lions would
not lose to the last play of the game.
In
came the throw, but it wasn’t a good one. Paul Thompson found the ball
in his hands and promptly booted it out of play, somewhat reminiscent of
a similar kick at the end England’s World Cup triumph. As the referee
blew for full time, the Lions’ players and supporters celebrated a vital
victory.
Final Score
Lions 19 Blaydon 18
Don's musings
This
was just the tonic that the Lions needed. After so many defeats by the
narrowest of margins, how sweet it was to celebrate one of our own. The
joy and relief on the faces of the players as they celebrated the win
was a joy to behold.
So……the fat lady’s breaths are not quite so big now, and the conductor
has loosened his grip on his baton, as Lions live to fight another day.
Now
Lions travel to Bedford Athletic in 2 weeks time for the final game of
the season. They can take heart from today’s performance and go into
the game confident that they certainly have the ability to deliver
another crucial win.
Unfortunately our fate does not lie entirely in our own hands as we are
reliant on Cleackheaton losing their last game at home to Tynedale, or
Blaydon losing their last 3 games against Kendal, New Brighton, and
Halifax. Darlington MP’s defeat of 2nd placed Macclesfield
today has taken them out of the danger zone.
One
thing is certain, Lions faithful supporters will be out in force at
Bedford to cheer the boys on. Let’s hope that all of our efforts are
not in vain. |
