FYLDE vs LEEDS TYKES: match report by Will Judd
Fylde welcomed Leeds Tykes to the Woodlands on Saturday in a game that was bound to be a tight nail-biter. The home side were under no illusion that keeping the Woodlands as an unbeaten fortress would be tough, but not impossible.
Indeed, Fylde got off to the perfect start. After pressure from kick off, they gained possession and began phases inside the Leeds 22. A few short phases later and the ball landed in the hands of the talismanic David Fairbrother, who dived over the back line to score a try two minutes in for Fylde, just right of the posts. This was ‘Fairy’s’ first try of a rather interrupted season for the number 8. The conversion wasn’t the trickiest, but Patrick Bishop made absolutely sure regardless to leave the game at 7-0.
But despite this early success, Leeds were proving just how strong they were. Ten minutes of constant pressure in the Fylde half eventually had to break the discipline of the defence. Matt Garrod was shown a yellow after a build-up of penalties.
The Tykes continued their pressure and eventually got on the scoreboard, when referee Jack Moorhouse awarded a penalty try in the right corner for Leeds. This also meant another Fylde player had to join Fairbrother in the bin, Pete Altham being the pick.
It was looking shaky now for the home side and Leeds took full advantage of the two-man advantage when a maul formed from a lineout on the left side of the 22. It rolled over the tryline in the hands of hooker Aarin Yorke. The conversion from the corner was missed which gave Fylde a glimmer of hope but there was much work to do.
The remainder of the first 40 was a rather cagy affair, neither side having any clear chances or constant possession, which left the game at 7-12 going into half-time.
Fylde began the second half like they did the first with early pressure. Mike Walton was able to burst through the middle of the defence and score beneath the posts after only five minutes of play. The conversion was easy for Bishop who maintained his excellent form kicking.
Fylde almost extended their two-point lead when a string of clever passes almost set Jordan Dorrington flying towards the try-line, but the referee controversially brought the play back.
That was as positive as it got for Fylde for a long time as in the 60th minute the try scorer Fairbrother was yellow carded (again after constant Leeds pressure), the home side’s third of the game. Leeds went over the line only moments later with Edward Brown thanks to a scrum maul which was almost impossible to prevent without the presence of a number 8 at the back. The conversion was missed however which left a door of hope open.
A door which was beginning to close when Pete Lucock scored Leeds’ bonus point winning try over in the right corner with just over five to play. With another missed conversion, the gap wasn’t widened as much as it could have been, but it was a tricky task for Fylde to secure a result.
Fylde threw absolutely everything at the last five in order to salvage a result. A converted penalty from Bishop took the score to 17-22, close enough for a converted try to win the game. The perfect opportunity came when a lineout was won in the Leeds 22.
Alas, despite the break before the throw for the referee to give a member of the crowd a yellow card (much to the amusement of the Woodlands), Fylde squandered the opportunity due to a wonky throw and even after winning the ball straight back and having a second attempt, the lineout drive was held up by the excellent Leeds defence, securing their hard earned win in the last minute, despite the best efforts of a spirited Fylde team who on another day would feel they could have taken the full points available.
Click here for Chris Farrow’s photo album.
FYLDE: 15 Reader; 14 Turner, 13 Stott, 12 Clayton (Smith 41), 11 Dorrington; 10 Bishop, 9 Gould; 1 Bowker, 2 Davis, 3 Altham (King 60) , 4 Walton, 5 Garrod (Morgan 60), 6 Quinn, 7 Harrison (c), 8 Fairbrother.
Non-playing replacements: Williamson, Forster.