Trafford MV 3rd XV 22 – Glossop 3rd XV 29
Saturday 5th January
It was important for Glossop to continue on their impressive and dominant form from before Christmas in this the first game of 2008. That wasn’t quite how things went however. Although cold and fairly windy, playing conditions were good. Despite Trafford only being two places below Glossop in the league, Glossop are now seriously challenging for the title and so the travelling team expected and needed a win. Trafford obviously hadn’t read that script. Pre match banter within the Glossop team was friendly and jovial, discussing how good and drunken everyone’s Christmas’ and New Years Eve’s were. This apparent ‘good will’ quickly disappeared on the pitch.
Glossop kicked off and immediately Trafford showed their intent for victory and Glossop showed they were still in the cars travelling over. The ball catcher ran through almost the entire Glossop team with barely a tackle attempted let alone made. Two phases later and they were over in the corner. To add insult to injury it seemed Trafford also had a pretty impressive place kicker as he converted the try from way out. To say that Glossop captain, Kev Swift wasn’t happy was an understatement and he was right to be angry. The team tried to rally, kicked off once more but straight away were on the back foot. Glossop’s tackling was non existent and once again Trafford MV’s scored, this time between the posts. Conversion over and after five minutes of play Trafford led fourteen – nil. If Glossop were to show why they were third in the league with two games in hand over second place Oldham they certainly needed to show it now. The team weren’t clicking going forward and tackles just weren’t being made in defence. It was a terrible start to 2008 and Glossop were not going to allow it to continue. Glossop’s backs were having a nightmare of a game and the forwards not much better, however it was the pack that managed to rally themselves first. Despite having a slightly smaller set of forwards than usual Glossop showed that they had skill and strength and found that Trafford very much struggled with the rolling maul. This is a move that has seen many a try set up this season and for the third game in a row Phil Littlewood playing at eight got Glossop’s first try from said move. From pretty much Trafford’s twenty-two Glossop started the maul and phase after phase of drives took them over the line and some good refereeing, coming around the maul after the touchdown was made to see the ball surrounded by Glossop players meaning the ball had to have been grounded. Jon Robinson slotted the kick over and Glossop’s fight back was on. Unfortunately Glossop than suffered another set back, Kev Swift was forced off the pitch with a shoulder injury he had complained about before the game had started. Glossop were spending a lot of time in the Trafford twenty-two at this point and something eventually would have to give whether a break through the Glossop defence by the home team or vice versa. In the end it was Trafford’s defences that couldn’t take the pressure and after being given a penalty fifteen or so yards out second row Rob Smith took the ball and set up another rolling maul which once again resulted in a Phil Littlewood try. Higgy, Swift’s replacement nearly made an immediate impact on the game also when he appeared to have scored in the corner when a Trafford player tried to keep a kick from going out by knocking the ball back in play with Higgy jumping on the ball as it went over the try line. The ref gave the try but after discussions with the touch judge it was deemed that the Trafford defender was already in touch when he knocked the ball back in play making the ball dead. There was then a period in the game that wasn’t pleasant to be part of. With both teams being so determined to win they were being overly aggressive and sly knocks here and there were being dealt across the park. When it came to the actual game of rugby Glossop were looking the more comfortable of the two sides in spite of still being behind by two points and then in fact went ahead with Phil Littlewood completing a much needed hat trick. That should have been the score going into half time however more ill-discipline led to Glossop giving away a penalty in the middle of the park and Trafford’s place kicker made easy work of the three points taking the score into half time at seventeen all.
Glossop knew they were better than the score and temperament on the pitch reflected and looked a much better side in the second half. After a slight stalemate for the first ten minutes or so winger Ben Thomasson broke the deadlock with a try after showing his pace, chasing a kick to the corner where the defending Trafford player made a meal of collecting the ball with Thomasson capitalising on this error picking up the loose ball and diving over. Glossop were leading once again. John Wood had come on at half time at flanker and his presence was very much welcome on the pitch. After a six month absence from playing he showed he still had the knowledge and skill for the game that could help drive the team forward and got on the score sheet with a try with about twenty minutes remaining. Jon Robinson kicked the conversion and at last there was a little day light between the sides. At this point the game was regularly being broken up with little spats between players on both sides and it made a flowing game of rugby hard to achieve. The Glossop backs had taken a while to warm up but in the second half their tackling was solid and hard. Trafford did manage to get on the score sheet again after a forward kick caused havoc for the defending Glossop players and despite their attempts Trafford went over in the corner. Luckily for Glossop the Trafford kicker missed the conversion. Big centre Chris Snape saved a certain try in the corner with a tackle on the Trafford winger pretty much on the line sending him out into touch. As with the cup game a few weeks ago fly half Whiston’s positional kicks were once again good and in the dieing moments he made two huge tackles that stopped strong forward runs from the Trafford backs that looked like they were going over. The ref was clearly frustrated with the confrontations the players were having and he looked as relieved the game was over as the victorious Glossop players were. It wasn’t a pretty game, it was a hard, well fought comeback battle that once again gives Glossop the win and one step closer to promotion.
Team Sheet
1.Swift(c) 2.Williamson 3.Gatsby 4.Smith 5.Deacon 6.Braughan 7.Wilson 8.Littlewood 9.Alderdyce 10.Whiston 11.Thomasson 12.Robinson 13.Snape 14.Hughes 15.Howarth
Subs: 16.Reddington 17.Wood 18.Higgy 19.Thomas 20.Fitton