Blaydon 20 Fylde 40: match report by Simon Taylor
Fylde returned from Blaydon with a bonus point victory to make it 7 wins from 9 starts and remain fourth in National League 2 North. Whilst the result was highly satisfactory at a ground where they have only won once in 10 previous visits the performance was less so being stop start and patchy. Some excellent line breaks led to some fine tries but there were long periods when Fylde struggled for fluency and accuracy. Two yellow cards and a much higher penalty count than their opponents didn’t help, and it was only in the last 15 minutes that Fylde exerted enough control to put the game to bed.
After a deluge of rain on the way over the skies cleared and Fylde kicked off in bright sunlight into a swirling wind, the travelling circus next to the pitch lending a somewhat surreal atmosphere to the occasion. Firm footing for an open game was ensured due to the 4G pitch and the home team started with energy and intent, keen to prevent Fylde from getting into any early rhythm. A couple of high kicks in the difficult wind caused problems and a first penalty on 3 minutes for Fylde not rolling away led to the Blaydon’s Nathan Horsfall kicking them into an early lead at 3-0. Fylde’s first serious break came on 11 minutes by Tom Forster, he fed young Sam Fisher who showed serious wheels in only his second game to speed into the corner, the difficult conversion was missed but Fylde led 5-3.
Fylde forced their first penalty on 17 minutes but were giving far too many away themselves. From one a smart move at the front of the line out saw the Blaydon hooker Sam Pyle dive over for the try, converted from wide out by Horsfall to give Blaydon the lead back at 10-5 on 19 minutes. Fylde’s frustration at their lack of fluency was compounded by their talismanic number 8 Dave Fairbrother being yellow carded on 25 minutes for a high tackle and Horsfall banged over another penalty to stretch the lead to 13-5.
Despite being a man down Fylde then produced another cracking try with a midfield break creating space for the prolific Tom Grimes to race into the corner and reduce the gap to 13-10. Straight from the kick-off skipper Ben Gregory produced a strong carry and offload to the fleet-footed Fisher who raced in for his second try. Greg Smith failed with a third touchline conversion but Fylde had edged back in front for a half-time lead of 15-13 despite Ben O’Ryan being yellow carded just before the break.
Another long-range break at the start of the second half saw Fylde camped on the Blaydon line with the home team now down to 14 men after a yellow card for their second row Austin Phillips. A strong scrummage gave Matt Sturgess the space to dart in for a try under the posts, converted by Smith to stretch Fylde’s lead to 22-13.
Rather than settle Fylde down some over ambitious and inaccurate play in their own half gifted possession to Blaydon and a missed tackle in midfield allowed Owen Chaplin to score, Horsfall’s conversion bringing the score back to a nervy 22-20 in Fylde’s favour.
Blaydon then had 10 minutes of good pressure and penalties but failed to capitalise. Fylde finally started to exert some control and find some composure and accuracy as man of the match Phil Mills galvanised the offensive & defensive effort. They were aided in this by the experienced and level-headed former captain Adam Lewis who had joined the fray as early as the 30th minute from the bench, having come out of retirement and off a night shift to help the cause.
Greg Smith pragmatically kicked penalties on 57 and 62 minutes to move Fylde’s lead out to 28-20 and a crucial two score gap. The key moment then came on 68 minutes as Matt Garrod was twice involved to link play and create space for Tom Grimes to score his second try of the day against his former club. The conversion was missed but Fylde were now 33-20 ahead. Blaydon’s cause wasn’t helped by their second yellow as their man of the match number 8 Ethan Clarke was perhaps harshly carded for what was deemed a dangerous tackle on Tom Carleton.
The final score came in the last minute when Blaydon, who had been plucky and adventurous all day, attempted to tap and run a penalty from close to their own line. The ball was turned over and try machine Tom Carleton was able to canter in from a few yards out for one of his easiest scores this season. Smith’s conversion saw the game end 40-20 in Fylde’s favour.
This was by no means a polished performance and against a top 6 team may well have been punished. However, any away win with a bonus point must be applauded, especially on a ground where Fylde have had such little success in the past. Coach Alex Loney accepted it was not the level of performance they would have liked but was very happy with the outcome saying, “Today’s challenge was how to get it right mentally and get our performance right after a big win last week. Fair play to Blaydon who came at us with energy and ambition which made it a tight contest. 5 points is a great result, it’s important now to freshen up during the week off and be ready for a second away game on the bounce at Sheffield in two weeks.
BLAYDON: 15 Nathan Bailey; 14 Jake Richards (Jonathan Ashman 30), 13 James Cooney, 12 Alex Clark (Nathan Horsfall 70), 11 Jack Appleton; 10 Nathan Horsfall (Ryan Foreman 55), 9 John Clarkson; 1 Alex Dodds (Elliot Beattie 44), 2 Sean Pyle, 3 Drew Thompson (Alex Dodds 72), 4 Liam Wright, 5 Austin Phillips (Jack Inglis 75), 6 Patrick Cooper, 7 Owen Chaplin (Will Hodgson 51), 8 Ethan Clarke.
FYLDE: 15 Tom Carleton; 14 Sam Fisher, 13 Tom Forster, 12 Scott Rawlings (Adam Lanigan 73), 11 Tom Grimes; 10 Greg Smith, 9 Matt Sturgess; 1 Zach Barrow (Sam Kyle-Clay 30, Barrow 70), 2 Ben Gregory (c), 3 Corey Bowker (Adam Lewis 30, Bowker 70), 4 Olli Parkinson, 5 Matt Garrod (Charlie Partington 73), 6 Ben O’Ryan (Marcus Blake 49), 7 Phill Mills, 8 David Fairbrother.
Blaydon YCs to Austin Phillips (42) and Ethan Clarke (74)
Fylde YCs to David Fairbrother (25) and Ben O’Ryan (41). .
Fylde YCs to David Fairbrother (25) and Ben O’Ryan (41). .
.