Fylde 62-19 Huddersfield: match report by Stuart McCracken
Captain Ben Gregory inspired Fylde to their biggest win of the season with a second-half hat-trick against bottom side Huddersfield.
Fylde led 34-7 at the break thanks to tries from Tom Carleton, Ethan Hall-Lyon, Corey Bowker and Ollie Parkinson, meaning the try bonus point was already wrapped up before the second-half got underway.
Hooker Gregory scored three tries in 30 minutes to put Fylde in the ascendency, despite the Yorkshire visitors scoring two tries of their own during that time.
Toby Harrison also scored late on to help take Fylde to the 60 point mark and cap off a great win after five games without one.
Fylde started quickly with Jordan Dorrington finding space on the left wing, after a brilliant backs move, but the winger was eventually tackled into touch as he attempted to burst into the Huddersfield 22. The visiting side, who sit bottom of the National League Two North table, responded well, carrying up the pitch until a knock-on led to their attack being halted.
Fylde scored the first try of the match in the 9th minute when Tom Carleton went in under the posts following a brilliant pass by Greg Smith to put the full-back through a hole. This was Tom Carleton’s first start of the season in the full-back position, something he embraced in the first-half.
The visitors responded instantly in bizarre fashion with scrum-half Josh Walker collecting a lineout before finding a gap in the lineout to slide through into Fylde’s 22. The number nine then kicked the ball in behind and went on to gather and slide over to get Huddersfield’s first score of the match. The try was converted by Joe Gallagher to level the scores at seven all after 11 minutes.
Fylde retook the lead seven minutes later when Smith slotted a penalty home following an offence at scrum time by Huddersfield. It got better for out of form Fylde when Hall-Lyon ran through to score in the 21st minute. The back rower scored with a bruising carry, bouncing a defender out of his path before cantering in under the posts.
Loosehead prop Corey Bowker was next to get his name on the scoresheet as he crashed over after brilliant play by prop partner Tye Raymont, who offloaded the ball to Bowker while being tackled. Smith converted both the tries to keep his 100% record from the tee intact.
Fylde were now on the lookout for their bonus point try with ten minutes remaining of the first-half and they very nearly got that allusive score when Dorrington blocked a clearance kick on Huddersfield’s try line, but the ball bounced the whole way past the dead ball line.
Smith, who was having a fine day with the boot, kicked another penalty in the 34th minute after Huddersfield’s number eight Billy Hammond was sin binned for playing the ball on the ground.
Fylde’s fourth try came a minute before the interval through second row Parkinson, who crashed over from close range after Fylde had built up sustained pressure on the visiting team’s defence.
The second-half started in quite a scrappy fashion with neither team being able to hold on to the ball for past five phases in the damp and gloomy conditions. The first bit of brilliance of the half led to the first try of the second 40. Scrum-half Will Wootton kicked a superb 50/22 in the 49th minute to set up a Fylde lineout five metres out from the Huddersfield line and from there the hosts powered over with a driving maul. Gregory was the beneficiary, crashing over at the tail of the maul and Smith added the extras to extend Fylde’s lead to 34 points with 30 minutes left to play.
Huddersfield, who have only won one game all season, showed real character to bounce back and put Fylde under extreme pressure in the following five minutes leading in a driving maul score. Callum Thompson went over for the visitors after Fylde had given away three consecutive penalties in their own 22. Substitute Joseph Potter added the extras for Huddersfield.
Fylde looked as though they were going over for their sixth try on the hour mark when Matt Garrod burst through a gap before offloading to Clayton, but the youngster was unable to hold onto the ball with the try line gaping. Fylde’s lack of cutting edge down the Huddersfield end was made to pay two minutes later when Huddersfield scored from a driving maul once again. Lewis Quinn getting the try this time.
Gregory bagged his second try in the 71st minute as he peeled off a driving maul to power over from close range. Smith, who was having an impressive afternoon in the tough weather conditions at the Woodlands, continued his 100% kicking rate from the tee to take Fylde within two points of the half century.
Huddersfield’s inside centre Ed Barber lost his head with six minutes to go, getting sent off for an altercation with Harrison. Fylde’s number eight compounded Barber’s sending off by scoring a minute later.
Gregory capped a great day off for Fylde and himself in the last play of the match, running in from 10 metres out to bag his hat-trick, after a brilliant pass by Smith, who converted the final try to end the game with an 100% kicking record.
The bonus point win takes Fylde up to fifth place in the National League Two North table, while their visitors for the day remain rooted to the bottom of the table with just six points from their opening eight games.
Fylde Man of the match: Ben Gregory
Click here for Chris Farrow’s excellent photo action.
Referee: Henry Pearson
Fylde team:
T.Carleton, Dorrington, Forster, Clayton, Turner, Smith, Wootton, Bowker, Gregory, Raymont, Parkinson, Garrod, Hall-Lyon, Bentley, Harrison
Replacements: Brooks, Parker, Burrow, S.Carleton, Altham
Huddersfield:
Collins, Stewart, Ryder, Workman, Barber, Gallagher, Walker, Thompson, Myers, Whitfield, Pearson, Barnard, Hammond, Quinn, Davis
Replacements: Rollins, Dawson, Moore, Harrison, Potter